Friday, January 8, 2010

Pro-life according to John

Today’s first reading. 1 John 5:5-13:
Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is he who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the witness, because the Spirit is the truth. There are three witnesses, the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree. If we receive the testimony of men, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has borne witness to his Son. He who believes in the Son of God has the testimony in himself. He who does not believe God has made him a liar, because he has not believed in the testimony that God has borne to his Son. And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who has not the Son of God has not life. I write this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.

After hearing this today, something really stuck out to me: life. As Catholics, we are called to be pro-life. Although most only associate this with abortion, I look at it in regards to all life (criminals, elderly, enemies). However, this reading takes it even further. John tells us that he who has the Son of God has life and he who has not the Son of God has not life. Could this really be what being pro-life is all about? Not just wanting everyone to be born, or spared from execution, but to live in Jesus, so that he may have life?

There is a drastic difference between merely breathing and actually living. This difference is Jesus. And what is even better, as the reading tells us, that as we live in Him now, we live in Him eternally. Pro-life can mean just wanting everyone to be breathing, but I think our faith calls us to more. Pro-life is now a stance saying we want everyone to experience life, real excellent life, and as John tells us, that is only found in Jesus.

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