RESPECT LIFE!!!

October is "RESPECT LIFE MONTH"!!!! When it comes to God's precious gift of human life, respecting life cannot be contained to just one month, it needs to happen everyday of our lives. We need to do our part to stand up, defend, and protect the beautiful gift of human life. Human life means all of us: the child that has been conceived to the person that has reached old age. I remember an intention that used to be prayed when I was in the seminary, "For a greater respect for all human life, especially the unborn and the elderly." We are a precious gift in God's eyes and we need to see our brothers and sisters as God sees us. Each human being deserves dignity and respect. The theme for the observance of Respect Life is: "FAITH OPENS OUR EYES TO HUMAN LIFE IN ALL ITS GRANDEUR AND BEAUTY"!!! Our faith is also a beautiful gift from God. That is why the Catholic Church will be opening the "Year of Faith" this Thursday, October 11. According to the brochure from the Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities, an office of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Pope Benedict XVI said this in announcing the "Year of Faith": "The Holy Father spoke of the grave difficulties of our time, and the need for the Church to lead people out of the desert and clasp sinners to its bosom. He suggested a path of penance and renewal and called for authentic conversion and witness to charity so the Church might be the visible community of God's mercy." We need to see not just with our physical eyes, but with the eyes of faith. May our observance of Respect Life Month and the Year of Faith open our eyes to renewal so that we can live our faith to the fullest and truly see the beauty and grandeur that God sets before us each day!!! God Bless You on Your Journey!!!