Fifty years ago today, the Supreme Court of the United States issued the decision on Roe vs Wade which made abortion legal in every state in this country. Thanks be to God that horrible ruling was overruled by the Supreme Court on June 24, 2022. It was a great and monumental ruling, but it did not free our country from the scourge of abortion. There is still much more to do at the state level in order to protect the lives of so many unborn children across the country. So, we are still needing to offer our prayers for the sacredness of human life and to use our voice and our vote to protect the lives of the unborn in our own state of Ohio and other states as well. At the heart of the matter is the fact that life begins at the moment of conception. It is God’s most precious gift to us and we must do all in our power to protect the sacredness of this human life for what it is: a gift of God given to all of us out of His great love for us, His children.
In Ohio we are very fortunate to have a legislature and governor that are Pro-Life. As a result, we have a law which protects our unborn children from the time a heart beat is detected, which is about the 5th or 6th week of pregnancy. This bill was passed and signed by Governor DeWine and was in effect for about two months. During that time several hundred lives of the unborn were saved in the state of Ohio. Then a pro-abortion group took it to a lower court and the law was suspended until further consideration by the courts. This is where we stand today. Hopefully the Supreme Court of Ohio will allow the law to go into effect. Until then, around four to five hundred unborn children are being aborted. There is much work to be done to save the lives of so many children in the state of Ohio as well as many other states in this great nation of ours.
It is important that we remain faithful to the Gospel concerning God’s gift of human life. The Fifth Commandment is very clear and to the point concerning God’s Word on this subject: YOU SHALL NOT KILL. The taking of a human life is never a good thing for anyone to do. Obviously, there are circumstances that arise which may make such an act less culpable, but never under any circumstances does that make such an act right. Such things as war, self-defense, or defense of another person may cause a person to take the life or hurt another person. Human life is so sacred and precious that even when a person may be forced by circumstances to take the life of another it is not an easy thing to get through. Police Officers and soldiers in war are very much traumatized by such an act. Even when a person accidently takes the life of another they are deeply affected emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually. I really cannot believe that anyone who is involved in a choice to take another human life is either not affected or minimally affected by it. Whether we want to admit it or not, the act or the cooperation in the act of taking a human life is naturally very troublesome to a human being on many levels. God has set this in our hearts and it stays there no matter how many laws or court rulings may try to say it is okay, IT IS NOT.
January 23, is a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. Let us use this day to pray for a greater respect for human life at all stages from the moment of conception to natural death. We must commit ourselves to pray and defend human life in every way possible especially with our vote and our voice. It is a great challenge because it can call us to go against many in our society who have convinced themselves and others that there is some kind of right to do this.
Next week is Catholic Schools Week. Please check the bulletin and our web sites for more information concerning events and opportunities to learn more about Sacred Heart Catholic School. We have a great treasure in all our Catholic schools. We need to do all that we can to make sure our school teaches the Catholic Faith to our young people and that as many of them as possible have the opportunity to attend a Catholic school. I am very grateful to everyone who participated in the Angel Scholarship Fund where your state tax dollars can be donated toward the tuition of students in our Catholic schools. The first year of this program has resulted in a little over $121, 000 donated by our parishioners. We will receive this donation when people have paid their 2022 state taxes. Our parish was second in the diocese due to the many generous people here at Sacred Heart Parish. Thank you and God bless you for your support of Catholic education.
