How we encourage members of Catholic Hythe to embrace the Gospel of Life
- Encourage understanding of Catholic teaching about the sacredness of every human life. The Church's promotion of the 'theology of the body', natural family planning and opposition to artificial reproduction, including IVF (in vitro fertlisation), contraception, abortion and euthanasia.
- Encourage members to spread this understanding in their families and work
- Encourage members to effect public opinion and policy on issues affecting human life by contacting elected officials e.g. MPs on pro life issues.
- Encourage prayer that the "culture of life" will replace the "culture of death".
- Encourage members to seek forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation if they have fallen away from the Gospel of Life. The road to forgiveness and God's mercy remains open even in e.g. the matter of abortion. God's mercy is infinite and reconciliation available where there is sincere sorrow and purpose of amendment.
“We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the “culture of death” and the “culture of life”. We find ourselves not only “faced with” but necessarily “in the midst of” this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life.” ('Evangelium Vitae' paragraph 28)
More on the Gospel of Life
In her Nobel Prize acceptance speech in 1979 Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta (picture right) declared, "Abortion is the worst evil, and the greatest enemy of peace."
O Mary, bright dawn of the new world, Mother of the living,to you do we entrust the cause of life: Look down, O Mother, upon the vast numbers of babies not allowed to be born, of the poor whose lives are made difficult, of men and women who are victims of brutal violence, of the elderly and the sick killed by indifference or out of misguided mercy. Grant that all who believe in your son may proclaim the Gospel of life with honesty and love to the people of our time. Obtain for them the grace to accept that Gospel as a gift ever new, the joy of celebrating it with gratitude throughout their lives, and the courage to bear witness to it resolutely, in order to build, together with all people of good will, the civilization of truth and love, to the praise and glory of God, the Creator and lover of life.
More Links to sites of organisations promoting the Gospel of Life in relation to natural family planning and fertility treatment
 |
 |
We also have our own parish based Natural Family Planning tutor - for further details, please contact the parish secretary