Prayer intention for the Month:
That
the governments of the world may recognise the inherent dignity and sanctity of
every human life in their deliberations.
Scripture Reading and Reflection: Gen
1: 26-28
26 God said, 'Let
us make man
in our own image, in the likeness of ourselves, and let them be masters of the
fish of the sea, the birds of heaven, the cattle, all the wild animals and all
the creatures that creep along the ground.'
27 God created man
in the image of himself, in the image of God he created
him, male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them, saying to them, 'Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth
and subdue it. Be masters of the fish of the sea, the birds of heaven and all
the living creatures that move on earth.'
The
Judeo-Christian understanding of human life is that it is a gift from God. Life is received, and thus it is neither a
right nor a merit. Hence, a person cannot grant life to himself or
herself. God out of his benevolence
created human life in his own image and likeness. He breathed into human beings his breathe –
this is the soul. This is where we
resemble God and has a share in his sacredness.
As a consequence of this created soul of which every human being has,
life is sacred and has dignity. Again,
it is this reality that bestows dignity on the human life and person. Although parents proximately give life to
their offspring, the power to do so comes from God. They are not the original creators of
life. Human life is thus, a gift from
God.
As a consequence
of this special gift – the spiritual soul – each person has an inherent dignity
and sacredness which is independent of human society’s recognition. It is not the society that confers dignity,
but God. Consequently, that dignity
transcends the individual’s age, condition, sex, socio-economic status,
religion, health, or stage of development. Life is, therefore, sacred from
conception to natural death. Upon this
truth, namely, the inherent dignity and sacredness of human life, rests the
principles of medical ethics and morals.
That is the reason that humans are to be treated differently from
animals. The inherent dignity which
humans have received from the Creator is a gift which came along with the gift
of human life. Humans recognise the
mutual respect to life owed them by virtue of that original gift. This appropriate mutual respect must guide ethics
in medical matters and in any scientific research.
The sanctity and
dignity of life ethic strikingly contrasts the quality-of-life-ethic prevalent
today. The proponents of quality of life
argue that physical life does not possess any worth in itself, but that its
value is dependent on whether it possesses one or more of the valued qualities,
e.g rationality. They do not acknowledge
the equality of physical lives and the equality of persons because it assigns
only relative or unequal value to physical lives and persons when certain
qualities are only partially present or totally absent. Second, quality of life denies that all lives
are inherently valuable and so it leaves open the possibility that some lives
can be deemed “not worth living”. This
position is intolerable given the fact that life is a gift from God – a gift
that does not depend on anyone’s merit, what one possesses or lacks.
This brings us
to another group of advocates who places the value of human life at par with
animal life. But, no amount of arguments
for animal or plants rights can change the fact that human life is more valuable
than other types of life. God places
these lower creatures under human beings as their masters (Gen 1:28). Jesus said: "You are of more value than
many sparrows" (Luke 12:7).
However, this does not mean that humans have the right to maltreat
animals or plants.
Again, the value of the human person in
Christianity is the result of overcoming the classic dualism between mind and
body. Christian personalism considers
not only the spiritual soul but rather the whole man, in his body-soul unity,
as a creature of God. He is a steward
who shares responsibility for the earth and for his life in the world, and he
is held accountable to the Creator himself.
Moreover, by virtue of the mystery of the incarnation and redemption,
man – every human being, especially the neediest – is considered and valued as
an expression of the redeemer’s presence.
Human beings have souls, but animals and plants do not have. Christ died
for human beings, and not for animals.
Christ is present in human beings, not in animals. This is evident in Matthew 25:31-46 where
whatever is done for the needy is done for Christ: I was naked
and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came
to me.’
Questions
for Personal Reflection
Do you appreciate your life as a gift from God?
Do you believe that another person’s life is a
gift and deserves respect?
Do you believe in the sacredness and dignity of
human life from conception to natural death?
If yes, what have you to say to those who ‘assign’
life to those think worthy to live?
Can you become an advocate for the sanctity and
dignity of human life?
Life Quote:
“Through the words, the actions and
the very person of Jesus, man is given the possibility of "knowing"
the complete truth concerning the value of human life. From this
"source" he receives, in particular, the capacity to "accomplish"
this truth perfectly (cf. Jn 3:21), that is, to accept and fulfill completely
the responsibility of loving and serving, of defending and promoting human
life. In Christ, the Gospel of life is definitively proclaimed and fully given.”
Bl. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 29.
No comments:
Post a Comment