Bob Jensen

How to Build a Culture of Life

Read the full version at respectlife.org/culture-of-life Watching the news and reading the headlines, we may feel helpless seeing the heartbreaking lack of respect for human life. How do we respond? Changing the culture is a process of conversion that begins in our own hearts. When we encounter Christ, experience His love, and deepen our relationship with Him, we become more aware of our own immeasurable worth and that of others. His unchanging love is the source of our God-given dignity, which, therefore, cannot be taken away. When someone is facing great trials, we need to walk with them on their journey, intercede for them, and be open to sharing Christ’s love, however He directs. We simply need to follow where He leads.1

Top Reasons to Oppose Assisted Suicide. Read the full version at respectlife.org/reasons-against-assisted-suicide. Some polls indicate that the public is receptive to assisted suicide. But the same polls show that people’s views shift when they learn about its dangers – especially the dangers for those who are poor, elderly, disabled, or without access to good medical care. Consider that, in Oregon and California, some patients’ health insurance offered to pay for assisted suicide, but not treatment. And in states where assisted suicide is legal, often no psychiatric evaluation or treatment is required. Additionally, assisted suicide fosters discrimination by creating two classes of people: those whose suicides we spend millions of dollars to prevent and those whose suicides we assist and treat as a positive good.1

What to Do When a Friend is Considering Abortion. Read the full version at respectlife.org/l-o-v-e. When a woman is facing a difficult pregnancy, the reaction of the first person she tells tends to set the tone for her decision-making. How do we respond in a loving way that is life-affirming for both her and her baby? First, prioritize listening over speaking. Ask her about her feelings, thoughts, values, beliefs, and wants. When her story is fully shared, it is your turn to provide factual information, in a loving and caring way. Encourage her. Help her set goals that extend beyond her due date to help her see life beyond her pregnancy. Reassure her that she is not alone, and provide practical support. Pray with her, offering Christ’s love at a crucial life-saving and life-defining moment.1

 

1 This is a summary of a USCCB Respect Life Program article by the same name and is reprinted with permission. © 2019, USCCB, Washington, D.C. All rights reserved.

Off to a Class Reunion

This weekend I am attending my 40th year seminary class reunion. I attended Theological College at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. My classmates came from all around the country, though most were from the east coast. We graduated with 24 in the class. We take turns hosting our reunions. This year, it is being held in Covington, Kentucky, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. I hosted the last reunion at the Palisade Retreat Center in Federal Way in 2018. I hear we will be spending a day at the Trappist Abbey at Gethsemane, which is home to the monk, Thomas Merton. There is also a rumor of visiting a couple bourbon distilleries.

These reunions are opportunities to share where life has taken us. The seminary experience forged some strong bonds of friendship. We got through the rigors of formation through our support of one another. We continue that support through the challenges and joys of priestly ministry or whatever vocation is being lived out. A few of my classmates have left the priesthood and gotten married. This will be the first reunion with spouses. We continue to accompany one another on the journey of faith.

I am sure one topic for discussion is the restructuring of parishes that many dioceses have started and which we are just beginning. In fact, our process is modeled on Cincinnati.

I am grateful for Fr. Dave Rogerson, who is presiding at the Masses this weekend. I have known Fr. Dave since I was in high school. I will have to bring back a bottle of bourbon for him, or maybe a book by Thomas Merton. Which will he prefer? I’ll keep his second choice.