The culture of death needs God's love

By EMMA WHITBECK- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

(Editor's note: Emma was the first-place winner of a respect life essay contest sponsored by Sacred Heart/St. Mary's respect life committee of Cairo and East Durham. Below are portions of her essay.)

We as humans are made in the image and likeness of God. On the last day before He rested, God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness" (Gen 1:26). We are unique to all of God's creations, though, because we have material bodies and immaterial spirits. God's spirit is in our body.

Part of being made in God's image is the fact that we have free will. Today we bear the scars of sin along with the image of God (James 3:9).

Life begins at conception, once the egg is fertilized. No matter what stage of pregnancy abortion is performed, the baby is killed. It's not as if there was a miscarriage; there are further emotional issues. The parents may feel guilt toward being a part of their child's death. Abortion is the "solution" to getting rid of parenthood for some.

We as Catholics believe that human life is precious and not to be taken by anyone except God. Abortion can be classified under the fifth commandment, "Thou shalt not kill." Assisted suicide can also be considered killing and is a moral sin.

Promoters of assisted suicide make statements such as, "It is dying with dignity," "It is a choice in dying" or even, "It is aid in dying." Pope John Paul II thought differently. He said that dying in dignity is when you accept the dignity of life. It is brought to us by God, our creator. The Lord showed the suffering, sick and dying His concern - something I feel is lacking in present-day society.

Life can be safeguarded in many ways. The first and most important is that our youth understand the importance of having morals and uphold the Catholic faith. Another way to safeguard life is to encourage our politicians to represent us in a way that holds life in high regard, including voting against abortion and assisted suicide. A third way is education about the effects of abortion and assisted suicide.

People need to understand the ramifications of their actions when they take their own life or that of an unborn fetus. When Jesus died on the cross, He gave His life so we could have ours. What Jesus died for is taken for granted every time someone has an abortion.

We need to love each other more. As Catholics, we are taught to forgive people who hurt us and, in return, we will be forgiven. To regain God's grace, we can go to reconciliation (confession). God is very forgiving, and His love and mercy will make us better people. As Pope John Paul II reminded us, the culture of death disregards God. It is our job as Catholic youth to discuss and educate our generation about that, and do our best to live in His image - and, perhaps by example, society will follow.[[In-content Ad]]