Celebrating Life: Where Do We See the Face of Christ
The connection between the Gospel message of Christ and justice is fairly easy to see. Living it on a daily basis is a far greater challenge. When we see the face of Christ in others, the Gospel message compels us to do more than just “be kind” to one another. It directs us to see, appreciate, actively defend, and stand up for the dignity of every human life.
As we begin the annual celebration of Respect Life this month, our attention turns to the Church’s commitment and Christ’s mandate to protect all life, at all times.
This issue of To Teach offers suggestions for exploring the vast number of pro-life issues, and provides ideas for empowering faculty, students, and families to fully embrace a “culture of life.”
Stay up-to-date on pro-life issues by subscribing to the Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities Life Insight Newsletter, which is published six times a year and discusses the most current pro-life issues.
Include an article in your regular newsletter or mailing from the CD-ROM: Celebrating Life 1972-2002, as a means of promoting a culture of life among your faculty, parents, and students.
Invite a speaker from the parish pro-life committee to do a brief presentation at your PTA/PTO or school board meeting during October. Encourage the speaker to highlight concrete activities that parents and board members might put into practice during the coming year to build awareness of the Catholic Church’s stance on various pro-life issues.
One week during the month of October hold a pink and blue ribbon campaign as a sign of support for the unborn. Provide students and faculty with the ribbons to wear, and additional ribbons to give to their families. Use the Evangelium Vitae Prayer found on page 366 of the newly-revised edition of Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers in the morning announcements or distribute copies of A Prayer for Life cards.
Ask students to search through Scripture and find the ways Jesus himself taught the values of respecting life for all, the unborn, the handicapped, the terminally ill, the oppressed, and the elderly. Turn the Scripture search into a Bible challenge game by dividing the students into teams and giving them points for the examples they find.
As an introduction to an educational session or discussion, you’re your student’s knowledge of the Church’s teaching on abortion using Abortion: Test Your Grip on Reality as a resource. Then distribute copies of The Catholic Church is a Pro-Life Church, a pamphlet describing the history of the Church's teaching on abortion to all students for further discussion.
Talk with the leaders of a charity in your area or parish that helps preserve the dignity of those who are elderly, disabled, poor, or oppressed to find out what kind of support your students might offer those that they serve. Whether it is collecting food, writing cards, or saying prayers, engage your students in a regular contribution to the charity beginning in October.
Host an age-appropriate discussion about the use of stem cells for medical research using Stem Cell Research and Human Cloning as a starting point.
Invite a speaker from a maternity home or adoption agency to talk with your students about the Church’s support of adoption as an option for newborns. Look for stories within the local community or from among the saints about those who have been adopted and how their experience formed them.
On a poster or bulletin board, put up the words, “Where have I seen the face of Christ?” Invite your students to find examples in their everyday life and post pictures or sticky notes with the names or description of those in whom they have seen the face of Christ.
Introduce students to the practice of praying a novena. Then invite the students to commit to praying The Novena for Life during October.
Have your students create poster collages of articles and pictures from newspapers and magazines of people who demonstrate that they support life. Remind them that life issues include abortion, death penalty, euthanasia, poverty, and war. Display the posters in your classroom or school.
Create a family faith journal. Take time at the end of each week to gather as a family to share, reflect and contribute to the journal with writings, artwork, or photographs of where each family member saw the face of Christ, throughout the week.
Pray “A Prayer for Life” found on page 365 in the newly revised edition of Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, as one way to emphasize the importance of valuing all of life.
Schedule one day a month to volunteer as a family at the parish or in the neighborhood. Talk with the parish staff person who coordinates service or social ministry about available opportunities.
As a family, visit with those in a nursing home in your area who have no family or no one in the local area to spend time with them. Read stories or the newspaper, make and deliver cards, or talk with them.
"Forming Adult Faith" is an ongoing feature of To Teach. It includes suggestions from the United States Catholic Catechism for Adults (USCCA) on how to promote ongoing faith formation among the adults in your school community.
The following chapters touch on different aspects of the theme, Celebrating Life: Where Do We See the Face of Christ?.
Chapter 6. Man and Woman in the Beginning
Chapter 29. The Fifth Commandment: Promote the Culture of Life
"Compendium Corner" provides a list of questions and answers in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church related to this month’s topic. (The number before the question is the question number in the Compendium.)
Review the questions and answers in preparation for your class.
Consider how to use appropriate questions and answers as part of your lesson plan.
Develop learning activities that help youths and young adults learn this information by heart (memorization).
358. What is the root of human dignity?
466. Why must human life be respected?
472. Why must society protect every embryo?
The connection between the Gospel message of Christ and justice is fairly easy to see. Living it on a daily basis is a far greater challenge. When we see the face of Christ in others, the Gospel message compels us to do more than just “be kind” to one another. It directs us to see, appreciate, actively defend, and stand up for the dignity of every human life.
