Fr. Shenan J. Boquet: March 25 – Celebrating The Day of the Unborn Child

By Fr. Shenan J. Boquet, Human Life International, March 22, 2021

“The one who accepted ‘Life’ in the name of all and for the sake of all was Mary, the Virgin Mother; she is thus most closely and personally associated with the Gospel of life. Mary’s consent at the Annunciation and her motherhood stand at the very beginning of the mystery of life which Christ came to bestow on humanity (cf. Jn 10:10). Through her acceptance and loving care for the life of the Incarnate Word, human life has been rescued from condemnation to final and eternal death.”

─ Pope St. John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, no. 102

Objectively speaking, there is only one appropriate response to the news that a new human life has come into existence: gratitude. Every human life is such a miracle that we ought to be awestruck every time we learn that a child has been conceived. Every child, without exception, is a gift from God and is to be welcomed, loved, and protected.

Subjectively, however, the reality is much more complex. We live in a world scarred by the effects of sin, including uncertainty, suffering, and death. As a consequence, even when the news of the conception of a child is met with joy, that joy is often mixed with fear and anxiety. In many cases, fear and anxiety overwhelm joy, so that the new life, instead of being welcomed and celebrated, is looked upon as a burden and a threat.  …

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