Among my very favorite things in this life, and I don’t think I’m alone in this, is being right. I’m a deeply competitive person, and there’s nothing better than winning an argument, and if it’s against a close friend, or better yet, a
sibling, proceeding to rub their face in their demoralizing loss. It is not a particularly attractive or Christian attribute of mine.
 
We are called as Disciples of Christ to seek the truth in all things and to boldly proclaim the Gospel and the Church’s teaching with all charity; seeking to bring others to know, love, and serve God in the truth in all things. But if we are more concerned with winning the argument than we are with bringing others to true conversion, we go from evangelizing to politics, and we fail to recognize the real people that God is placing in front of us for us to love them and serve them.

October is marked by the Church in the United States as Respect Life Month, and we are called upon to renew our commitment to defend life in all its changes, both by advocating for just policies that protect the unborn and those whose lives are devalued by society and by supporting people in difficult situations who are at risk of making a
decision that will terminate life and cause them
to carry that wound deep in their hearts for
many years.
 
In light of Respect Life Month, I ask that we as a parish do a number of things. First, that we remember that this is more than a political debate, and no matter how heated things become, we must remember that we are talking about real human lives, and we shouldn’t allow our conversations with others to turn into an us vs. them mentality. We are calling one another to conversion, and that can only be done by speaking the truth in charity.
 
Second, we will be rolling out a baby bottles campaign soon to support the good work being done by the Elizabeth New Life Center. They minister to women in our area who are abortion-minded and do everything in their power to give them the support they need to choose life. Our region contains some of the highest percentages of abortion cases per capita in the state, and we are called as Catholics to witness to life and do what we can to turn
the tide.
 
Finally, as in all things, we are called to pray. We must pray for the strength and boldness to witness to the beauty of life in our daily lives, even when it makes us uncomfortable. We must pray for the hearts of those who support the destruction of life at will to be converted and to see the beauty of life and all its opportunities, even in difficult situations. We must pray for
justice to rule in our nation, even for those who cannot speak for themselves. Thank you for all your efforts to spread and promote the truths of the Faith and the beauty of life and know that you all remain in my prayers always.
 
Fr. McCullough