getting lost.

I love to hike. I throw some good snacks in my bag and am ready to jam. My husband can close his eyes and navigate with some 6th sense I wasn't blessed with, so I carry a compass… either way works. Whether it is my husband smelling the air around him or me frantically turning in circles with the compass on my phone, we both are looking for one thing before we begin: true north. The knowledge of north naturally reveals the direction of the south, east, and west. Within this framework, we can confidently orient ourselves so that we know where we are going and enjoy freedom of movement as we navigate our way. As we set off, we can choose different paths to eventually arrive at the same destination as reasonable and well-informed individuals. (Although truth be told, I always follow him, ha!)

I love this concept because it can easily be applied to our journey through life toward our heavenly home. Our journey takes place in neighborhoods and communities throughout the world. It passes us through classrooms and grocery stores, sits us at the bedside of sick loved ones and tired children, it demands that we labor both for life and wage. Our steps are the daily choices we make to love one another. This journey must also have some hard markers — a true north —that help us navigate community life. These are "non-negotiables" that help us build a foundation within society that allows each human person to flourish.

I would argue that Catholic teaching sets the "right to life" as true north; it must be the preeminent non-negotiable as it is the foundation upon which all other rights flow. As long as the right to simply live is dependent on any subjective want or need, we will never be able to orient ourselves within our community with confidence that our journey toward our heavenly home will find a successful end. We will constantly wander in a gray area, a sort of disturbance in the magnetic field that throws us off course. Suddenly, our journey – the steps home that are simply the daily choices of sacrificially loving one another — becomes harder to discern because we have lost our bearing. When the "right to life" is in jeopardy, our thinking will naturally be confused. We think maybe abortion is necessary, perhaps euthanasia is the compassionate choice, maybe embryonic testing to weed out fetal abnormalities makes sense…etc. etc. etc. 

The problem is that when we participate in any action that denies the right to life, we are culpable for that sin. If we wander in gray area because we have lost true north, it is simply because we have allowed this world's politics to drown out the Word of God in our hearts. Much like when hiking with my husband, if I get lost, it isn't because my compass was wrong; it is because I didn't keep my eye on it. 

There are other issues, such as healthcare, education, immigration, etc., that are serious and deserve much attention; however, two reasonable and well-informed individuals may disagree on the exact route to arrive at the necessary reform. But debating these issues is entirely fruitless when we lose our bearings because any of these issues can only be reformed for the good of the human person when protecting the right to live is non-negotiable. 

You and I have a moral duty to use our voice to protect that which all other rights flow from…the right to simply live. A choice otherwise, even a choice to do nothing, will be a part of our journey, subject to the judgment of our Lord, and a deciding factor in our final destination.

Thank you for spending these last 4 weeks exploring the USCCB’s Pastoral Plan for Pro-life Activities! This series will be turned into a Life Focus Guide Series and will be available soon! Share it with your parish, family, and friends!

See you next week!