By Judie Brown
Those of us who are committed to defending the preborn know that man is created in the image of God, even if today’s politicians uphold the lesser view that most people do not deserve the right to exist, to develop, and to be welcomed into the world. Yes, I did say most people because, as we know, a human being’s life begins with a single cell, not some trumped-up demarcation in age (no pun intended).
As people of faith, we are not beholden to any person, regardless of political office, but rather we are beacons whose function is to always remain steadfast in lighting the way to truth. This is what Saint Paul’s wisdom means when he told the Philippians to “do everything without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world.”
Let us also consider these words: “The Church is not meant to be worldly. It is not meant to be secular. Its whole point is to be different from the secular world. If it concedes to the culture, it loses itself. This means that the Church can never seek to be accepted by the culture, for the Church’s job is to correct the culture, to be counter-cultural. It means that the Church can never seek to be respectable in the eyes of the world, for it comes to transform the world.”
This is an insight without limit, especially in a nation where we are too quick to accept deceit and call it a victory. A good example of this is contained in the Republican platform endorsed by President-Elect Trump. It states:
We proudly stand for families and Life. We believe that the 14th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States guarantees that no person can be denied Life or Liberty without Due Process, and that the States are, therefore, free to pass Laws protecting those Rights. After 51 years, because of us, that power has been given to the States and to a vote of the People. We will oppose Late Term Abortion, while supporting mothers and policies that advance Prenatal Care, access to Birth Control, and IVF (fertility treatments).
This is not a defense of innocent human beings; it is a politically crafted sellout. Yet it is a statement that should inspire us to light up the world with love. This is so because politics is not the answer. It is a stumbling block to those of us who recognize that genuine love for the innocent is born out of absolute truth, not compromise.
As the song says, “What the world needs now is love!” In other words, the world, particularly the society in which we live, needs a refresher course on the actual facts of life when it comes to our fellow human beings and why each of them should be precious to all of us.
Some have suggested that it is only the Democrats who have a God problem, but we know this problem crosses political lines. We also know that God should be part of our national DNA. Every single person should feel inspired to do everything possible to diligently focus on what God expects of us.
When the prevalent attitude is that God has nothing to do with national policies or individual actions, we strive to be counter-cultural because God is central to the very existence of each human being.
Saint John Paul II recognized this, and he eloquently taught in Veritatis Splendor (The Splendor of Truth):
In point of fact, man does not suffer perdition only by being unfaithful to that fundamental option whereby he has made “a free self-commitment to God.” With every freely committed mortal sin, he offends God as the giver of the law and as a result becomes guilty with regard to the entire law (cf. Jas 2:8-11); even if he perseveres in faith, he loses “sanctifying grace,” “charity” and “eternal happiness.”
Understanding this will enable each of us to help not only ourselves but everyone to see the glory that accompanies avoiding evil and unselfishly loving the image of God in others. Only then will we light up the world with love.