Contemplating life and love with St. Pope John Paul II

Twenty years ago, on April 2, 2005, St. John Paul II died, ending his 26-year pontificate. Throughout his long pontificate, he boldly taught the importance of building a culture of life. In Evangelium Vitae (given 30 years ago last week), he wrote:

We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the ‘culture of death’ and the ‘culture of life.’ We find ourselves not only ‘faced with’ but necessarily ‘in the midst of’ this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.

Indeed, we all have the responsibility to care for those around us, as everyone, especially the vulnerable, deserves protection.

Adults cannot take this pro-life charge lightly, and those of us who are parents have a deeper responsibility, as we must raise our children in the Faith and teach them the value of every person, born and preborn. This is how we will eradicate the culture of death.

In the twenty years since St. John Paul II’s passing, the world has become an even more divisive and immoral place. We see anger and violence in the public square, an increase in absent fathers, a decrease in church attendance, and more and more laws supporting abortion and euthanasia. Our society often seems to only care for people who are healthy and wanted. All others are expendable.

But this is not the perspective and truth that Jesus taught and lived, and it’s certainly not the world that St. John Paul II longed for.

Yet, if he were here, he would not want us to dwell on the evils of the past or even the evils of today. He would want us to learn from them, to work to change them, and to create a future based on God’s objective laws rather than man’s subjective whims.

As we look back on St. John Paul II’s pontificate, we are inspired by his faithfulness, compassion, and love for his fellow human beings. We can see all this in each of his writings.

Here are five quotes from Evangelium Vitae, along with brief reflections, to contemplate as you seek to live as St. John Paul II demonstrated, working to nurture, build, and defend a culture of life.

1. “Every man is his ‘brother’s keeper’ because God entrusts us to one another.”

We have a responsibility to care for those around us, especially those who cannot care for themselves. Is there someone in your life who needs assistance or who lacks independence in some way?

This week, identify one vulnerable person in your life and determine one way in which you can care for this person.

2. “The role of the family in building a culture of life is decisive and irreplaceable.”

Each member of our family is unique and irreplaceable. Do we let them know we value them?

This week, reach out to a family member you have not spoken to in a while and give them the gift of your time and attention.

3. “Laws which legitimize the direct killing of innocent human beings through abortion or euthanasia are in complete opposition to the inviolable right to life proper to every individual; they thus deny the equality of everyone before the law.”

Every person from the first moment of creation has a right to life. Do you advocate for the protection of preborn babies? Do you speak up when someone says she has a “right” to an abortion? How can you affirm the sanctity of these tiny and most vulnerable humans this week?

4. “Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God.”

Our faith teaches that we are here on earth to know, love, and serve God. We do this through our words and actions. How we treat others matters. How we care for them matters.

This week, take some time to sit in Adoration and reflect on your purpose in life. What can you do to serve God by serving others?

5. “If the promotion of the self is understood in terms of absolute autonomy, people inevitably reach the point of rejecting one another. Everyone else is considered an enemy from whom one has to defend oneself. Thus society becomes a mass of individuals placed side by side, but without any mutual bonds.”

Do we put God first in our lives, or do we elevate our wants and needs? A society full of people who only act selfishly cannot thrive. This week, perform one kind deed for someone else to show them that you value them as a human being.

As St. John Paul II taught, building a culture of life requires us to take action and to speak our faith boldly and unapologetically. It requires effort, determination, and faithfulness.

And most of all, it requires love—a love that he showed every day of his pontificate.