RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY: Mary, Mother of Life
Dear Parish Family,
Each October, the Catholic Church in the United States observes Respect Life Month, beginning with Respect Life Sunday. This year’s theme, “Mary, Mother of Life,” holds special meaning for us as the parish family of Mary, Mother of Our Savior.
At the Annunciation, Mary received with faith a life and a future she could not fully understand. Her yes to God became a profound witness to the sacredness of life. From Bethlehem to Calvary, Mary shows us what it means to welcome, cherish, protect, and remain beside another person even when love requires sacrifice.
That same calling belongs to us.
Our Catholic commitment to human life begins with a fundamental truth: every human person is created in the image and likeness of God and possesses an inherent dignity that must always be respected and protected. Human worth does not depend upon age, health, ability, independence, productivity, wealth, or circumstance.
Therefore, we are called to stand with all who are vulnerable. We stand with the unborn child and with mothers facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies; with families in need; with persons with disabilities; with immigrants and refugees; with the poor, lonely, and forgotten; with victims of violence; and with those who are aging, seriously ill, or approaching the end of life. From conception until natural death, every human life deserves protection, compassion, and love.
This witness has particular importance as New York has recently enacted a medical aid in dying law. As a parish family, we affirm in a special way the dignity of those who are aging, infirm, seriously ill, or approaching the end of life. Illness, dependence, disability, or advanced age can never diminish a person’s God-given dignity or make a human life less worthy of our love and care. Rather, these moments call forth from us an even deeper commitment to compassionate accompaniment through excellent medical treatment, hospice and palliative care, the consolation of the Sacraments, and the loving presence of family, friends, and the Christian community.
Our commitment to life must also always be accompanied by mercy. To anyone carrying pain or grief from a past abortion, please know that the mercy of Jesus Christ is always available. The Church desires to accompany you toward healing, reconciliation, and peace. Confidential help and spiritual accompaniment are available.
Respect Life Month ultimately asks more of us than simply affirming a principle. It calls us to become a community in which no one faces a vulnerable season of life alone.
As a parish entrusted to Mary, may we learn from her to welcome life, protect life, and accompany life with courage and tenderness from its first moments until its natural end.
Your Servant in Christ,
Father Jason C. Hage, Pastor
Our Lady of Lourdes, pray for us!
Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!
Mary, Mother of Our Savior, pray for us!