My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
The world has been shaken. A public death has jarred our conscience and cracked open our conversation. But hear me: we must not let the fire die. The world trembles for one man – rightly – but will we tremble for the millions of children whose lives are taken in silence?
From the beginning, God has told us the truth about blood and innocence: “ … The voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the earth” (Genesis 4:10). The blood of Abel cried out then; the blood of the unborn cries out now. Their cry reaches heaven. And heaven hears.
Christ entrusted His Church to be a sentinel for life, the voice for the voiceless. Yet in our time, too often we have chosen ambiguity instead of clarity, comfort instead of the Cross. When shepherds fall silent while the wolves devour, they do not stand apart from the guilt – they share in it. Not because they wield the knife, but because they withheld the word.
Let us be plain about what the Church teaches and has always taught. Pope Pius XII declared in 1951:
“Every human being, even the child in the womb, has the right to life immediately from God, not from parents, nor from any society or human authority. Therefore, there is no man, no human authority, no science, no medical, eugenic, social, economic, moral ‘indication’; who can exhibit or give a valid juridical title, for a direct deliberate disposition over an innocent human life.”
This is not politics. This is first principles. To obscure this for the sake of favor or fashion is a scandal. We repent of silence, we renounce compromise.
The Scriptures speak with the simplicity of light:
“The Spirit of God made me, and the breath of the Almighty gave me life” (Job 33:4).
“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast protected me from my mother’s womb” (Psalm 138: 13).
“But Jesus said to them: Suffer the little children, and forbid them not to come to me: for the kingdom of heaven is for such” (Matthew 19:14).
If the Lord knows us in the womb, then who are we to refuse His gift? If the Kingdom is for such as these, then who dares to bar the way?
The early Church did not hesitate. The Didache – one of the oldest Christian writings – commands: “You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is begotten” (Didache 2:2).
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches:
“Human life must be respected and protected absolutely from the moment of conception” (CCC 2270).
“Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable” (CCC 2271).
And St. John Paul II, with apostolic authority, thundered in Evangelium Vitae:
“The deliberate decision to deprive an innocent human being of his life is always morally evil and can never be licit either as an end in itself or as a means to a good end.”
The 40 Days for Life campaign runs from September 24th to November 2nd. Forty days that expose the world’s altar of death and build an altar of mercy – right there on the sidewalk, in prayer and fasting. This is not “activism.” It is Christian witness at the foot of the Cross. St. Paul’s summons is for us today:
“Wherefore he saith: Rise thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead: and Christ shall enlighten thee” (Ephesians 5:14).
Arise, O Church! Arise from sleep! Let Christ enlighten your courage. When you stand and pray at a clinic, you stand at a modern Calvary – and the Lord always meets you there.
We say it with sorrow: parts of the Church have forfeited their responsibility. They have chosen polite conversation with a culture of death while the weakest perished. But God’s Word cuts through our excuses:
“Woe to you that call evil good, and good evil: that put darkness for light, and light for darkness … “ (Isaiah 5:20).
The public death that shook our nation has awakened the sense that life matters – that blood spilled is not a footnote; it is a judgment upon our complacency. Do not let that fire fade into the next news cycle. If our hearts burn for one man cut down, how can we not burn for the multitude no one sees and no one buries?
This is what we must do – NOW!
- Pray and fast. Not as a slogan, but as sacrifice.
- Stand and witness. Peacefully, weekly, locally. Bring Scripture, rosaries, and mercy.
- Support mothers. Housing, diapers, childcare, job help, counseling, adoption, partners.
- Speak truth in love – at home, parish, school boards, and statehouses – without euphemisms.
- Form conscience. Teach your children what the Church actually teaches – using the documents you heard today.
- Refuse despair. Mercy is stronger than death; grace is stronger than sin.
Let us also take to heart the witness of St. Teresa of Calcutta, who told our nation:
“I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion.”
If abortion destroys peace, then defending life builds peace – in the heart, in the home, and in our nation.
Shepherds, we were ordained for this hour. The flock does not need ambiguity; it needs clarity and charity. We must preach what the Church teaches, not what the world tolerates. And faithful laity: your courage strengthens ours. Your public witness – fathers, mothers, young people – summons your priests to stand taller.
The culture of death speaks loudly, but Christ’s word is final:
“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I am come that they may have life, and may have it more abundantly” (John 10:10).
This is the charter of the Church: life- abundant, unafraid, and unashamed. Not a project, but a Person. Not a platform, but a promise sealed in Blood and vindicated in Resurrection.
Brothers and sisters, do not let the shaking cease. Let the Church’s voice thunder again with mercy and truth; every life is sacred, every child is wanted by God, every abortion is a tragedy we can and must prevent. We will pray. We will fast. We will stand. We will love. And by the grace of Jesus Christ, we will build a culture of life.
Lord Jesus Christ, Author of Life, forgive our silence, heal our fear, and kindle in us the fire of Your love. Holy Mary, Mother of the Living, shelter every child in your mantle. St. Joseph, Guardian of the Redeemer, guard every mother and father. Saints who defended life across the ages, intercede for us.
And may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Bishop Joseph E. Strickland
