Questions of Faith

Father Wilmer Todd

Each person is precious in the sight of God

I have a friend who claims to be a staunch pro-lifer. She is antiabortion and believes that life begins at conception. However, she does not have a problem with the death penalty. She feels that we should put murderers to death: A life for a life. How can I explain that all life is sacred?

This is a great question for Respect Life Month. This beautiful time of the year reminds us that each life and each person is precious in the sight of God: The unborn child, the frail, the aging parent, those with disabilities or deformities, those dying with fatal diseases, those who are pure and innocent, and those who are wicked and evil, and who have caused great harm to others.

Why is all life precious to God? God created each person in his divine image and likeness and declared, “You are very good.” Secondly, Jesus died on the cross for everyone to show his love for even the worst sinners.

The belief in the sanctity of human life and the underlying dignity of the human person is what Jesus tried to teach us when he said, “This is my commandment that you love one another as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Jesus did not put restrictions on whom we should love. He even pushed us to love even our enemies.

In the Sermon on the Mountain, Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ Nevertheless, I say to you, do not resist an evildoer. If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also” (Matthew 5:38-39). Jesus is not asking us to be doormats. He is asking us not to resort to revenge that does not solve anything. To quote Richard Branson, “Why do we kill people who kill people to show that killing people is wrong?”

In the video announcing his prayer intention for September, Pope Francis said, “Each day, there is a growing, ‘no’ to the death penalty around the world. For the church, this is a sign of hope.” In the video, the Holy Father maintains that the death penalty is not necessary “from a legal point of view.”

He argues that “society can effectively repress crime without definitively depriving offenders of the possibility of redeeming themselves.” He adds that there must be “a window of hope” in every legal sentence. Capital punishment “offers no justice to victims, but rather encourages revenge. It prevents any possibility of undoing a possible miscarriage of justice.”

Pope Francis goes on to say that the death penalty is “morally inadmissible” because it destroys life. He insists that “uptotheverylastmoment,apersoncan convert and change.” The pope argues further that “in the light of the Gospel, the death penalty is unacceptable because the commandment ‘Thou shalt not kill’ refers to both the innocent and the guilty.”

Pope Francis concludes his message with an appeal for all people of goodwill to mobilize for the abolition of the death penalty throughout the world. “Let us pray that the death penalty, which attacks the dignity of the human person may be legally abolished in every country.”

Because Christians believe that each life is precious, we oppose any type of action that threatens the sacredness of life. This would include abortion, euthanasia, the death penalty, torture, starting unjust wars, opposing expanded health care for children, cutting school lunch programs, and standing by while hard-working Americans are losing their jobs and retirement protections.

Jesus was totally pro-life and not just pro-birth. He associated with sinners and despised tax collectors. He took the side of the poor and those with repulsive illnesses. He treated women with equality and allowed them to be his followers. He forgave those who were guilty of serious crimes. By treating every person with dignity, we will be following our Savior’s example.

We need to speak out against anything that threatens the dignity of a human person. Jesus said, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly (John 10:10). Let us stand up and defend all human life! BC