By Fr. Denis Wilde, OSA
In the last decade of the 20th century, among the volumes of teaching St. John Paul II contributed, one encyclical stands out that comprehensively examines human nature both in our natural gifts as uniquely “human,” and then, as Gospel people with the hope of eternal Life.
At the moral and ecclesial epicenter of the late Holy Father’s array of teachings is Evangelium vitae (EV) – The Gospel of Life, published March 25, 1995. In it, John Paul grappled with the broad compass of life, from “womb to tomb.” Revisiting it on its 30th anniversary is most welcome and appropriate.
Some see this remarkable work as the centerpiece of a literary triptych of sorts. In 1993, John Paul penned the encyclical Veritatis splendor (VS) as a response to ever-creeping relativism, whittling away over the past century the ability of the human mind and heart to find and adhere to truth, rather than one’s opinion. To address what regulates humanity beyond tangible biologic and chemical mechanisms required an assertion from human history that truth exists independently of my or another’s thought or desire. In fact, it lays open, acknowledges and celebrates Christ “The Way, the Truth and the Life.” That in turn paves the way to speaking of the Gospel of Life in clear and unambiguous terms, not only from papal authority, but from the tradition, history and scientific study embraced by human reasoning.
Which crosses to the third piece of the triptych: Fides et Ratio (FR), given to the Church in 1998. Another major issue stemming from the Enlightenment, Marxist materialism, evolutionary scientism (not science), and facets of modernism all put human reason at odds, supposedly, with faith. In Fides et Ratio, the Holy Father demonstrates how true theology does not contradict true science or reason, and vice versa.
The first tablet in the triptych is about determining that truth can indeed be found and adhered to in what we believe. The third is about affirming and even celebrating the interrelationship between the truth in reason and in belief. The triptych centerpiece takes truth, reason, belief in a comprehensive painting of human life with the backdrop of the Gospel: “I have come that they may have life.” These three verbal tablets fuse together and rework a secular world to marvel beyond.
As believers, Catholics proclaim the Christocentric pivot point at the “Fiat” of Mary’s humble acceptance of her conceiving Jesus Christ (Luke 1: 26-38), Christ among us, Emmanuel.
The second pivotal moment was Calvary and one might even claim the precise moment Jesus also gave His “fiat” – “not my will but yours, Father, be done” (Matthew 26:39) – which set the next day’s drama in motion. It would lead to draining his very Blood for our redemption, our Church’s Sacred Triduum leading to Easter (the proof of Jesus’ Divine claim and the claim to our lives’ hope as well).
John Paul illuminated the world with Evangelium Vitae on the Solemnity when Jesus entered the Womb of Mary – the Annunciation, March 25. In today’s terms, truly an “unexpected” pregnancy, both in the way God fashioned what we acclaim in the Creed (“conceived by the Holy Spirit”) from the flesh of Mary alone, and in the “unexpected” visit by Angel Gabriel to convey the Divine Will to this maiden of Nazareth. Christ the longed-for Messiah made His earthly entrance nine months before His acclaimed and rightly celebrated birth, effecting changes in others at the outset. John the Baptist, Elizabeth, Zachary and Joseph came to ponder the gift in Mary’s womb well before His birth.
Three times each day, in the lore of Christian history, men and women used to begin their day, stop their work, or return home while focusing on this wonder of the Annunciation in their praying of the Angelus. These are simple visits by the faithful to this all-important moment of human history.
Addressing many issues involving human life and dignity, the pope singles out abortion with emphasis:
The moral gravity of procured abortion is apparent in all its truth if we recognize that we are dealing with murder and, in particular, when we consider the specific elements involved. The one eliminated is a human being at the very beginning of
life. No one more absolutely innocent could be imagined. In no way could this human being ever be considered an aggressor, much less an unjust aggressor! (EV 58)
The texts of Sacred Scripture never address the question of deliberate abortion and so do not directly and specifically condemn it. But they show such great respect for the human being in the mother’s womb that they require as a
logical consequence that God’s commandment “You shall not kill” be extended to the unborn child as well. (EV 61)
The Annunciation underscores the sanctity of life by highlighting the moment of conception as significant in God’s plan for salvation. Pope John Paul II connects these events to affirm that life is a divine gift, worthy of protection and reverence from the very beginning. He also addresses the mercy of God in the aftermath.
Mothers who choose abortion may presume that God will forgive them later, but then find both that they are unable to forgive themselves and estranged from God. Both are sins against the virtue of hope. To lift this cloud of self-condemnation the Pontiff writes:
I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. To the same Father and to his mercy you can with sure hope entrust your child. …Through your commitment to life, whether by accepting the birth of other children or by welcoming and caring for those most in need of someone to be close to them, you will become promoters of a new way of looking at human life… (EV 99)
The Church aims to bring solace and deep peace, while also recognizing the sin for what it is – an offense, not just a regret. When acknowledged in sorrow, it triggers the grace of God’s mercy, as always. Thus forgiven, those in the know can direct others away from abortion. We are all to be somehow involved, actively through prayer, fasting, presence, persuasion, perseverance. Towards this end, the Holy Father states:
What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life. All together, we must build a new culture of life: (95)
The Gospel of life is for the whole of human society. To be actively pro-life is to contribute to the renewal of society through the promotion of the common good. It is impossible to further the common good without acknowledging and defending the right to life, upon which all the other inalienable rights of individuals are founded and from which they develop. A society lacks solid foundations when, on the one hand, it asserts values such as the dignity of the person, justice and peace, but then, on the other hand, radically acts to the contrary by allowing or tolerating a variety of ways in which human life is devalued and violated, especially where it is weak or marginalized. Only respect for life can be the foundation and guarantee of the most precious and essential goods of society, such as democracy and peace.
There can be no true democracy without a recognition of every person’s dignity and without respect for his or her rights.Nor can there be true peace unless life is defended and promoted (Italics added) (101)
“Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” are the key fundamental “unalienable rights” acknowledged as given by the “Creator” in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. There cannot be true understanding of “We the People” without recognizing and defending the God-given gift of life. Every other “right” is in some way wronged if life is not well guarded and slogans to the contrary are not dealt with and corrected.
“Social justice begins in the womb.” No lasting justice is possible without the defense of innocent life. These are direct violations of the Declaration and fly in the face of the Divine Commandments. We cannot remain complacent without doing what we can to re-establish the wholesome fear of God in our society, and Evangelium vitae is a beacon of light guiding the message of the Holy Year of Hope, 2025.
Fr. Denis Wilde, OSA, Ph.D., is the associate chaplain for Priests for Life. A concert pianist, he was formerly an associate professor of music at Villanova University.
