One of UCEMI's main goals is the idea of Christians working together for greater unity. UCEMI recognizes the importance to create an awareness, in both our parish communities and the rest of Canada, to better live our faith in order to build the common good. This is essentially a spiritual and social mandate to promote a culture of life and love. It was John Paul II who showed the world that armed with just the Word of truth one could be instrumental in bringing down communism in Poland and East Germany, reveal the weaknesses of unbridled capitalism and uncover the futility of trying to build solidarity in a modern culture where self-interest and profits rule the day.
As Canadian Christians we have believed for far too long that the anti-life culture can be accommodated. We see this in the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the efforts to remove religious education in school curricula. Perhaps, we have silently argued: Let’s be tolerant and perhaps all this will just go away. In the name of being politically correct, we have said yes to the current trend by compromising on life and death issues. Many of us have been too afraid or even embarrassed to bring our religious beliefs into the public square.
We have watched as our university campuses no longer welcome free speech when it comes to the pro-life side. Our politicians of every stripe and level of government have firmly adopted a culture of relativism on just about every moral issue. When it comes to sexuality, the more liberal your attitude the better it is. Abortion, homosexual "rights", pornography channels approved by the CRTC and the push for euthanasia are all part of what it now means to live in the modern moral fabric of Canadian society. Today many regard morality as a relative idea, and the very notion of truth is laughed at, if not rejected outright.
Now ask yourself: Have these liberal ideas improved our society? I think not, and there are many of us who support this view. In fact, a laissez-faire morality has done the opposite. Taxpayers are forced to pay for abortions and some want to extend this to euthanasia and assisted-suicide. Pro-life university student groups, like the one at Carleton, have had their funding removed. Religious questions are not welcomed in the pages or the screens of our country’s mass media. Abortion has completely devalued the meaning of life; life has become a commodity that we can buy, sell and discard at will.
So, what can UCEMI members do to try to change this trend as we enter 2011? We must, first of all, begin with prayer, and then humbly try to respond to this question: Isn't it time for more of us to speak up against this anti-life culture? Surely more Christians need to make a public case for truth and for human dignity. If Christian associations like UCEMI don't address these important issues, who will defend the truth?
Sure there are personal risks for taking a stand. We may not be well liked by our family, our co-workers and friends, but that’s a small price to pay in an effort to spread the Gospel. In honest talk, we will find out who are our true friends. But we must also respect and pray for those who disagree with us. In some cases, speaking up may even jeopardize a job or a promotion. The decision to publicly be a witness for one’s faith is difficult, but it needs to done, if we are prepared to live it, and nobody can do it for anybody else. Every person is ultimately responsible before God for the choices made or not made.
The next thing we can do is to try to unite our efforts with other groups, as Ucemi did last year with the inter-religious dialogue conference. Jews, Christians, Protestants and many others are in agreement with us on the important life issues, such as marriage, abortion, the dignity of the human person. In this time of moral crisis, we can put aside our minor disagreements to fight for the common good. There’s a need to defend and promote these basic principles: the dignity of life, the social and economic importance of marriage, and the right for religious freedom and expression.
In addition, we should not be afraid to discuss our ideas with those who do not agree with us. For too long, we have said nothing not to offend others. This approach has backfired completely. You can see the evidence in the legalization of abortion, same-sex marriage and the reticence to discuss religion in public. This attitude of acceptance all the while wishing that the issues might go away has not worked.
Finally, we must alaways put our hope in God. Canadian society continues to promote ideas that have no basis in either natural law or just plain common sense. The anti-life culture rests on contradictory ideas and a morality totally flawed. The truth will have the final Word. I will end with one last consideration: What do you think we and our families can do in 2011 to help build the common good? We all have a Christian responsibility to try to answer that question. Happy New Year to everyone!
Lou Iacobelli
Everyday For Life Canada: A Blog of
Canadian Life, Family & Cultural Issues
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