As we continue to reflect on “living the truth in love” in our world, let us consider the following passage from the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans 12:1: “Do not conform yourselves to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
It is often said that the Catholic Church is out of touch, or needs to change its teachings. Those calling for such a change have conformed themselves to this age. Instead, we should conform ourselves to the Sacred Scriptures and the teaching of the Church. When our minds and hearts are formed by the Word of God, we can live the truth in love.
In this context, consider an area of our culture in which it is very easy to be conformed to this age. Our culture is permeated by the false moral reasoning that the end justifies the means. For example, when I was growing up and we learned in school about American History and the Second World War, we were taught that it was justified to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki because it would bring a quicker end to the war and many more lives would be saved. The end of saving more lives, it was said, justified the means of dropping the bomb and obliterating entire cities.
Yet the Church teaches that it is never permissible to destroy whole cities no matter what the reason is. “Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2314).
In our culture, we see the same reasoning that the end justifies in other life issues as well. In the case of abortion, it is said that abortion is necessary to help a woman who is pregnant and facing many challenges. Of course, we should help women who are facing challenges when they are pregnant. That is why we have a national program for parishes called “Walking with Moms in Need,” and crisis pregnancy centers that strive to walk with and help pregnant women in their time of need. However, taking the life of an innocent unborn baby is never justified. Every human life has intrinsic dignity that must be respected.
Another example can be found with physician- assisted suicide and euthanasia. It is said that the end of helping people who are suffering justifies either helping them end their lives or killing them. It is so important for us to walk with people who are suffering, but every human life is to be treasured. It is never permissible to end a human life to relieve suffering.
Let us be on the lookout for other areas in our culture that strive to justify immoral behavior by the false moral reasoning the end justifies the means. In a particular way in this month dedicated to the respect of human life, let us strive to uphold the dignity of all human life from the moment of conception to natural death.
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