On the Feast of the Visitation, an invitation from Pope John Paul II to respect and love the lives of our brethren

IC photo/Marie Mischel

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This stained glass window depicting the Visitation is in the Cathedral of the Madeline.

Catherine Stokes

Special to the Intermountain Catholic

On the last day of May, we celebrate the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s a beautiful time to reflect on the thoughts of St. John Paul II, who understood the joys and the challenges of expecting mothers. In his 1995 encyclical Evangelium Vitae (Gospel of Life), he presents the encounter between Elizabeth and Mary as a time of great joy. When Mary greeted her kinswoman, John the Baptist leaped in his mother’s womb because of the great mystery being revealed – the arrival of the Messiah. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; she knew at once that God was present. For everyone present, it was an occasion of profound joy.

St. John Paul II presents this meeting between Mary and Elizabeth as a celebration that every person has value from the moment of conception. As he states in Evangelium Vitae, “Human life finds itself most vulnerable when it enters the world and when it leaves the realm of time to embark upon eternity.” This understanding draws us into “the deepest element of God’s commandment to protect human life: the requirement to show reverence and love for every person and the life of every person,” he wrote.

St. John Paul II calls us to respect, love and promote the life of every brother and sister, as Jesus Christ did. This calling is for every human being, to ensure all lives are always defended, especially when one of us is threatened. This is a personal concern we can all foster; then, unconditional respect for human life can be the foundation of a renewed society.

At times, this concern for others reaches the level of “everyday heroism” made up of gestures of sharing, big or small, which build up an authentic culture of life: “Part of this daily heroism is the silent but effective and eloquent witness of all those brave mothers who devote themselves to their own family, who suffer in giving birth to their children and who are ready to make any effort, to face any sacrifice, in order to pass on to them the best of themselves. In living out their mission these heroic women do not always find support in the world around them. On the contrary, the cultural models frequently promoted and broadcast by the media do not encourage motherhood. ... We thank you, heroic mothers, for your invincible love! We thank you for your trust in God and in his love,” Evangelium Vitae states.

St. John Paul II also made this call: “Every Christian community, with a renewed sense of responsibility, must continue to write this history through various kinds of pastoral and social activity. To this end, appropriate and effective programs of support for new life must be implemented, with special closeness to mothers who, even without the help of the father, are not afraid to bring their child into the world and to raise it.”

To help mothers in the Diocese of Salt Lake City, the Walking with Moms in Need program offers the opportunity to assess, expand and communicate resources to pregnant moms and families in need. Parishes can implement this ministry with the help of the resources guide the diocese has compiled, which includes food resources, help with utilities, crisis nurseries and shelters, housing and legal aid.

The guide is available from the diocesan Respect for Life Commission, diocesanrespectlifecommission@dioslc.org.  

If your parish does not yet have a Respect for Life Ministry, resources for starting one are available at https://www.dioslc.org/respect-for-life/starting-a-parish-respect.  

You can also support Pregnancy Resource Centers located throughout the state. PRCs offer free ultrasounds, clothing, diapers, formula, pregnancy testing, medical referrals, post abortion counseling and mentorship, all at no charge to clients. Over the next few months, diocesan representatives will be visiting any parish interested in hosting a Baby Bottle Campaign to help the PRCs. For information, contact diocesanrespectlifecommission@dioslc.org.

The Feast of the Visitation is a time for encounter, a time of joy. It is a wonderful time to join those around us with hope and charity.   

Catherine Stokes is chairperson of the Diocese of Salt Lake City’s Respect for Life Commission.