ALL LIFE MATTERS

Dear Parishioners,

God is the author of all life, human and divine. Man did not will himself into existence and give himself an identity. Because God is existence and chose to share his existence in bringing man into being, we get our identity and meaning and purpose from God.

Genesis tells us that God created man in his image and likeness and saw that what he had created was indeed very good. Thus, life is holy and sacred because God is holy and sacred.

In the Mass we hear the words, “may we come to share in the divinity of Christ, who humbled himself to share in our humanity.” Christ gave his life for all humanity, not just certain people. If then, all humanity is called to share in Christ’s Divinity then we need to reflect on our treatment and attitude of others.

The present racial divide that threatens our country and society with violence, anarchy and civil unrest are a result of our failure to acknowledge every person’s God given right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our country is based on the principle that all people are created equal in the sight of God. We give no quarter to bigotry, racism, religious intolerance, anti-Semitism, or the erroneous belief in the superiority of certain individuals because of their race, religious beliefs, or ethnicity.

We do not ascribe to the notion that we need to make America great again. We are already great because of the diversity of the citizens that make up our nation. The principles of misdirected nationalism serve only to open the door to hate speech and are a reminder of where unbridled nationalism has led the countries of the world in the past to chaos, wars and genocides. Have we not learned anything from history. Must we doom ourselves to making the same mistake of allowing totalitarian politics to oppress the human spirit and consciousness of every man, woman and child.

In a free society, such as ours, it is the role of good government to protect and defend human life, not its destruction. When the civil liberties and the rights of any individual, as enshrined in our constitution and bill of rights, are taken away, so that people live in fear, then it is time for all people to stand up and defend these principles of shared human solidarity.

As people of good will, we must affirm the sanctity of all human life. We must stand up and express our support for those who have no voice, and for those who live in fear because of the color of their skin, their economic backgrounds, their ethnicity, or religious beliefs.

This pandemic of hate and fear must stop now. We as believers in the Gospel of life, must live the words of the Gospel. It is unacceptable to remain silent and voiceless. For those who say this is not the time, I say to them, if not now, when, if not here, where, and if not us, who?

I ask you to pray, make your voice heard, make your vote count, and allow your belief in God to guide you into all that is true and noble. We have been entrusted with a great legacy, and we are bound in conscience to preserve it for the next generation, while we still have the freedom to it.

May God continue to bless this great land and those who call themselves its citizens. May we never forget to remember and honor those who paid with their lives for the freedom of speech, assembly, and freedom not from religion, but the freedom to be religious, that we presently enjoy.

Let us continue to pray for and end to the racial violence that threatens the security of society and this great nation. Let us pray for the grace to work together in peace and mutual respect to resolve the problems of our day. May God continue to bless the good work he has begun in us and see it to completion.

Father Gagne