Catechism
The Gift of By Rev. William M. Cwirla
You shall not murder.
What does this mean? We should fear and love God so that we do not hurt or harm our neighbor in his body, but help and support him in every physical need. (The Fifth Commandment)
Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday, dear Reader. Happy Birthday to you!
H I G H E R T H I N G S __ 28
Don’t you love birthdays…especially your birthday? Balloons, gifts, a party with your friends. People singing to you. What’s not to like? You were born, and we’re happy for you. You are fearfully and wonderfully made, a creature of God, and we thank God for you. Happy Birthday! Life is precious. Human life is sacred, set apart, holy, from the womb to the tomb. While we share a common biology with the animals—most of the same DNA, same cells, same stuff—we are different from the animals. We are made in God’s image. We are spiritual creatures. The Son of God honored our humanity by becoming one of us, conceived in a mother’s womb and born just like us in order to save us. Taking human life away is murder. It’s trying to be god in place of God. Only God kills and makes alive. We can’t make anyone alive, and we are not given to take their life away, whether the baby in the womb, the old person in the nursing home, or the neighbor who irritates us.
