Our theme for Respect Life Month is “Life: Our Sign of Hope”, which ties into this year’s Jubilee Year of Hope. Our ethic of life in the Catholic faith affirms that every human being bears the image of God and is deserving of dignity and respect. From the unborn child in the womb, to the person on death row in prison, from the elderly person in a nursing home or our neighbor who is struggling with mental health issues, poverty or addiction, our Catholic faith proclaims firmly that all human life is sacred. We are to be signs of hope by loving, protecting, and serving human life in different ways.
The disciples saw Jesus’ faith as they accompanied him in his ministry. The disciples knew in their hearts that faith gave them a new vision and a new way of approaching life. And so they asked, Lord increase our faith. We know that faith is at the foundation of our life of discipleship as Catholics. Without faith, we will not be able to see God in creation, we will not be able to proclaim the Gospel of Life or live out the Gospel of life in our words and our actions. Without faith, it would be easy to be without hope, to just dwell on the dark things we see in this world. Faith gives us a new vision and a new version of life. Faith allows us to have hope. Faith frees us and gives us new life and enables us to see the love and mercy of God that is at work in our lives, in the lives of others, and in the world.
It is easy to become frustrated with our lives and with what we see in the world. God encourages us to have faith in our thoughts, our words, and our actions. We are to believe that our faith is life saving. The just one perseveres on his journey of faith and in his actions and his prayers. He trusts in the saving power of God and in the salvation we have in our Lord Jesus Christ.
