My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Sunday October 1, 2023 is Respect Life Sunday. This year's theme is Radical Solidarity; to be courageously pro-woman, promoting a choice that truly protects, accompanies, and supports women and their children.
At the core of Catholic Social Teaching is the dignity of the human person, the common good, subsidiarity, and solidarity. What is solidarity? Pope Saint John Paul II tells us: "Solidarity is not a feeling of vague compassion of shallow distress at the misfortunes of so many people, both near and far. On the contrary, it is a firm and persevering determination to commit oneself to the common good; that is to say, to the good of all and of each individual, because we are all really responsible for all."
Pope Francis teaches us in his social encyclical Fratelli Tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship, that "solidarity means much more than engaging in sporadic acts of generosity. It means thinking and acting in terms of community" (FT, 116). Pope Francis bemoans our throw away culture. He notes: "some parts of our human family, it appears, can be readily sacrificed for the sake of others considered worthy of a carefree existence. Ultimately, persons are no longer seen as a paramount value to be cared for and respected, especially when they are poor and disabled, not yet useful -- like the unborn, or no longer needed -- like the elderly. We have grown indifferent to all kinds of wastefulness...a decline in the birthrate, which leads to the aging of the population, together with the relegation of the elderly to a sad and lonely existence, is a subtle way of stating that it is all about us, that our individual concerns are the only thing that matters."
What does radical solidarity with women look like? In Fratellli Tutti, Pope Francis offers the model of the parable of the Good Samaritan. He notes: "Now there are only two kinds of people: those who care for someone who is hurting and those who pass by; those who bend down to help and those who look the other way and hurry off. Here, all our distinctions, labels, and masks fall away; it is the moment of truth. Will we bend down to touch and heal the wounds of others? Will we bend down and help another to get up? This is today's challenge and we should not be afraid to face it" (FT, 70).
There are so many wounded women and men who have been hurt by abortion. The church offers healing and hope. The choice is ours. Will we stand in radical solidarity with women and strive to build a culture of life? Will we be "Good Samaritans" and offer material aid to mothers in need? Or, will we look the other way?
I will conclude with the prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila: "Christ has no body but yours. No hands, no feet on earth but yours. Yours are the eyes with which He looks with compassion on this world. Yours are the feet with which He walks to do good. Yours are the hands with which He blesses all the world." Today and every day, let's be the hands, the feet and the eyes of Jesus. Together let us build a culture that protects the unborn, welcomes the stranger, feeds the poor, cares for the elderly, and respects life in all its dignity at every stage. Thank you and may God bless you in all your efforts to build a culture of life here in the Diocese of Norwich.
With every best wish, I am
Sincerely yours in Christ
Michael R. Cote
Bishop of Norwich