Pope Benedict XVI Blog

Opinion: ‘Life was the Light of the Human Race’. Politics, Progress and Prudence

By Deacon Keith Fournier
12/21/2009

Catholic Online (http://www.catholic.org/)

Participation in politics also requires prudence in rhetoric, our language of discourse.


In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. (John 1: 1 – 6)

CHESAPEAKE, Va. (Catholic Online) – This is the week in which the whole world pauses to commemorate the birth of the Word through whom the entire universe was created. That Word became flesh and dwelt among us, as one like us, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews writes “in all things but sin”. (Heb. 4:15)

As a Deacon of the Church I will have the honor of reading the Gospel throughout the Great Feast of the Nativity and all of its Liturgies. For the Liturgy of Christmas Day I will read these extraordinary words from the last Gospel:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be. What came to be through him was life, and this life was the light of the human race; the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John 1: 1 – 6)

It is the light revealed in the face of the Child in the Crèche which enables us to see things differently. When we do, we must also act differently. It gives us a greater responsibility as is underscored in the Gospel admonition that “to those to whom much is given, much more will be required.” (Luke 12:48) That action includes our language and our public discourse.

Lately - like millions who have watched with great alarm as the current senate version of the Health Reform bill failed to add language which would prevent federal funds from being used to fund the taking of innocent human life in the womb - I have experienced strong emotional reactions.

Let me be clear, my fundamental opposition to the current version of this reform bill coming out of the Senate is that it fails to protect the Right to Life of our first neighbors in the womb and fails to respect their human dignity.
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posted by Dr. Denice Hanley, DPM, M.Div. @ 12:43 PM