LIFE

Because of our belief in a Creator God, we recognise that the very nature of life is sacred. If it is true that humankind is the crown of creation and indeed that we are the very purpose behind all creation – as the mystics teach – then life is holy, a holy mystery. We cannot know the mind and purpose that God has but the gurus seem to say, if I understand correctly, that evolution will continue until all humankind reaches a level of consciousness that knows everything is one. 

I think we all know when we reach the last span of our lives that the ultimate purpose for life might be mystery but it has to be both sacred and holy. We have faith, we trust God and live in hope, despite all the negatives that befall us and surround us.

The unity that we are evolving towards has already begun. The best examples of this development are probably humankind’s concern for the environment, for social justice and the equality of all human beings. All of life is holy and we are actually at the service of life, first and foremost. So learning compassion is a primary concern to couple with service.

From Richard Rohr in an Online Daily meditation headed DISCERNING OUR COMPLICITY

Cardinal Bernardin, a friend and confidant while I was in Cincinnati, was the first to publicly call for a “consistent ethic of life” in the late 1970s. He made it clear that until the church starts being honest and defending all life from beginning to end, it cannot call itself “pro-life.” Otherwise, the very moral principle falls apart. All policies that needlessly destroy life—abortion, war, capital punishment, euthanasia, and the selfish destruction of the earth and its creatures—are all anti-life and against the fifth commandment, “Thou shalt not kill.”

Kevin Dowling was asked:

 Q: Do you support the provision in the U.S. aid package that promotes abstinence over condom distribution? 

 A: I've taken a strong stand on this, and I've faced criticism from conservatives and Catholic church officials. I've worked with these poor, vulnerable women who are discriminated against in every way. They have very little control over their lives or their bodies in the male-dominated African culture. Many women are forced into prostitution as the only way to get money to buy food to keep their children from starving. They are vulnerable women who need male condoms and female condoms, and whatever protection we can give them to prevent the spread of HIV. Their lives are sacred. To withhold condoms is immoral in my mind. We're not talking about simply a contraceptive. Given the situation, a condom stops the transmission of death for these poor women.