Receive Life

“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”

1,800,000,000. That is the reported number of babies who have been aborted world-wide since 1980. Here, in the land of the free, where our founding documents spell out that the greatest right a person has is the right to life, we are responsible for 68,000,000 of those abortions. Recently in Illinois, politicians and citizens celebrated with joy the truck outside of their convention that was providing free abortions and vasectomies to anyone who wanted one. They celebrated with joy the ability to murder the most innocent and vulnerable among us for any reason.

God shared with man a gift that he did not share with any other creature, including the angels. A life that has existed since the beginning of time manifests itself at conception. Conception is that moment in time where God shares with us someone he has intimately known since creation began. Our greatest duty, therefore, is to care for this life; for it is a person whom God wishes to spend eternity with in heaven. Any nation that refuses to receive life as God provides, refuses to receive God as well. Such a nation has no future. Why do we have a priest shortage in our Church? Why is every ministry in desperate need of more volunteers? The simplest answer is that Catholics have stopped receiving life as God provides and demands life only on our terms. When we limit the number of children we have according to our desires, we have limited people to answer the call to every vocation; priest, deacon, married, religious, and servant.

Why does Jesus tell us that we need to have the faith of a little child to enter the kingdom of heaven? Little children love unconditionally. They don’t care what color a person is. They don’t care about sex, who a person loves, religious affiliation, or political party. These are all things that we learn to hate in another as we lose our innocence and grow in the foolishness of this world. Little children also trust without demand for proof. They don’t worry where their next meal will come from or what they will wear tomorrow. They trust that their parents will provide for them all that they need. The Father wants us to have that same kind of love and trust for him.

Who is great in the eyes of God? Is it the person who works for the most charities or says the greatest number of prayers? Humility and gratitude are two hallmarks of a great person. Pride acts like a leaven in the soul. It does nothing to improve a person's character. It only puffs one up and fills one with gas. Great is the person who can love in the way God loves; sacrificially. A humble person puts the needs of the other before his own needs. A humble person recognizes and respects the dignity that is inherent in every person. Dignity is the thumbprint of God on the human soul. We are called to love one another in the way God loves us and serve one another through this love. How did God love us? He gave his life in sacrifice for us. The greatest in heaven are those who sacrifice their lives in the loving service of others and do so in humble gratitude.