Volume 27 Issue 12  Bulletin Edition  March 26, 2021 

Why the Catholic Church opposes the Reproductive Freedom Act Rejoice in the Lord By Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. Archbishop of Newark MARCH 19, 2021 / Vol. 2, No. 13 Source:RCAN.org

On Oct. 5, 2020, the Catholic bishops of the state of New Jersey published a statement that conveyed our “strongest possible opposition” to the proposed Reproductive Freedom Act. At that time, we urged all Catholics and all people of goodwill to reject this proposed legislative initiative in our state and to contact their state legislators to express vigorous opposition to its passage. I would like to outline in simple, straightforward terms why we take this strong stand. As our statement last October made clear, the Catholic Church believes and teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death. That is why we oppose all threats to human life and dignity evident in contemporary society, including abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide and capital punishment. We join with Pope Francis in noting that the right to life of the unborn “is the most fundamental right. This is not first a religious issue; it is a human rights issue.” (Pope Francis to American Catholic Bishops, USCCB Region IX, January 16, 2020). Our opposition to the proposed Reproductive Freedom Act is based on our absolute commitment to human life and dignity. The Catholic Church stands with all who advocate for civil rights and racial equality. We strongly support the right to quality healthcare for women and men in all regions of our state, regardless of their economic, social or religious status. We especially want to advocate for those in our communities who are poor or on the margins of our society. …Continued on page 3

God’s Love THEME: We are the reflection of God’s love when

we share in the suffering of Christ.

WORD : Is 50:4-7 ~ Ps 22:8-9,17-18,19-20,23-24 Phil 2:6-11~ Mk 14:1-15,47

ORDER: “Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.” - Mk 14:38a

REFLECTION:

When we look at the world and see so much suffering, or when we look at our own lives and see the pains that we sometimes endure, it is tempting to think that God does not care about us. When tragedy, sickness, hardship and death strike, or when we are in dire financial straits, are scared or deeply troubled and depressed, especially now during the worldwide crisis that we are currently in, it becomes easy to wonder if God is present in our midst. But the truth is that God’s love for all of us was already demonstrated for us as shown by the events of Holy Week, when Jesus Himself endured pain, suffering and death. The truth is that without the Son’s poverty, passion, and death, we would not be able to recognize the full and grand display of God’s love. We battle mightily to try to understand why God would allow certain people to suffer more, why some die at a young age, why there are those who are born into difficult circumstances, why some become chronically ill or face violent deaths; why many are hungry or thirsty, …Continued on page 3

“The Lord God is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; …I shall not be put to shame.” – Is 50:7

It has been one year. One year that we have been living through this pandemic that initially, we thought would be over in just four months. One year that we haven’t seen in-person, some members of our families and many of our friends. One year of losing people whom we love, and having to settle for attending their funerals on Zoom. One year of working from home. One year of remote learning. One year of our churches operating at restricted capacity. One year of... One year of… One year of… The list is so long…. One year of so many things happening that have completely changed our world and will now impact our lives for a very long time. This past Sunday I heard the reading from St. John’s Gospel account about the Raising of Lazarus. A week earlier this passage was read at my mother’s one year death anniversary Mass, and I was quite moved by it. Then, as I heard it again last Sunday, it caused me to really think about and reflect on it. I was particularly struck by the verses of John 11:21-26. “Martha said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died’” (Jn 11:21). To me, it seemed that Martha was relieved to see Jesus, but was also lecturing Him a little bit for being late, because by this point, Lazarus was already dead. With all that has happened to us during the past year, how many of us prayed to God but felt disappointed when things didn’t happen the way that we wanted things to unfold? Because of the past year, I feel like I can relate to the same sentiment that Martha felt when Jesus didn’t show up in time. “‘[But] even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise.’ Martha said to him, ‘I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.’” (Jn 11:22-24) Martha believed that her brother would rise on “the last day,” but she was still upset that Jesus was not there while her brother was still alive. Jesus was known for miracles, and Martha believed in Jesus’ words, but there may have been some doubt in her that anything more could have been done for Lazarus. As it was with Martha, do we also struggle with believing God’s words and His promises? Do we question if He is listening? Is life so hard these days that based on what we see, we’ve become unsure about the future getting any better? Sometimes all we see is just what is in front of us, and we end up underestimating the omnipotence of God and downplaying all the great things He actually does for us.

“Jesus told her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?’” (Jn 11:25-26) This time, when I read this, I felt that Jesus was speaking to my soul. This past year has been so hard and so His question has made me look inside myself and ask myself over and over, “Do you believe this?” Then, other questions followed. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, but when life got hard, did I forget about this? Father in Heaven, do I still believe in You? Do I still trust in You, my Lord, even when I have lost loved ones, and my grief and sadness overwhelm me? Do I still trust in You, Lord, even though my loved ones are sick, and I struggle to support my family because of loss of income, or when my friend is struggling with an addiction that seems to have taken control over him? Do I believe that You, God, can mend all the brokenness and spiritual wounds in my life? Can God fix my lack of faith? Difficult times like these force us to confront the depth and extent of our faith; and we can either turn away from, or turn towards God. Well, I choose to turn to Jesus, I choose to trust in Him unreservedly, and to seek Him out for everything, including asking for His help in figuring out the solutions for all of my problems, and bringing Him into all of my life decisions so that I can more fully live according to His example and teachings. I present my highly flawed, imperfect human self to Him, and I offer Him my life, allowing Him to work through me for His glory. During this pandemic I have had days when I have felt so empty and insecure, wondering if I have anything to offer. But I’ve now turned to God with a simple prayer – for Him to fill, mold and strengthen me, and that He guide all of my steps… And this always works! I pray every day, read scriptures, attend mass as often as I can (whether in-person or live-streamed), go to Adoration, and take every opportunity to pray with others. I am so grateful to Him that I am part of this community of faith, BLD, where members gather regularly to pray. I believe that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life, and that He has the power to sustain us in any situation that we might face, even when things look impossible. Now, I pray to Him even more fervently, trusting that He will give us all the strength that we need to face the challenges of this world. Lord, please continue to hear our prayers and answer them according to Your Divine Will. Bring us to fullness of life in You, now and forever, Amen.

(from page 1)

or suffer in a myriad of ways. It can be difficult to see how God is bringing about something good through events that bring such suffering and pain, and we may have a hard time reconciling this all with a God Who is love and mercy. But great good emerges from suffering because God has woven it, together with love and glory, to bring about salvation. Jesus came as a helpless baby, born in an animal shed. He was tempted by Satan, misunderstood, falsely accused, betrayed, abandoned, whipped, cursed, and nailed to a cross between two thieves. In the witness of Christ, suffering was at center stage in order to release love, in order to give birth to works of love towards neighbor, in order to transform the whole of humanity into an authentic fellowship of love and care. Why then should our witness be much different? When we fully unite our suffering to Christ on the Cross, we share in His suffering and allow God to transform us through it, so that profound conversions, healing, reconciliation, and real love may take place. Suffering in the Name of Jesus is not easy as the process is extremely painful, but the ultimate meaning of sharing in our Lord’s suffering is to die to self and be able to go through the darkness of adversity with Him, survive the onslaught and attacks of the evil one, and then come out whole and aligned to God’s plan and will. Scripture tells us, “rejoice to the extent that you share in the sufferings of Christ, so that when his glory is revealed you may also rejoice exultantly” (1 Pt 4:13). Great good is hidden in suffering, and God’s love flows from it. In the broken world of today, when we present our sufferings and pain at the foot of Christ’s Cross, God takes our brokenness and turns it around to work for our benefit. He uses the things that we endure in our lives to draw us to His bosom; and when we offer it all up to Him as a sacrifice, after reflecting on His blessings and endless love, we realize that suffering enables us to secure a truly intimate love relationship with Him, thereby fulfilling the deepest purpose of our lives. Suffering with Jesus sets the stage to perfect our faith, and for God to work His good in us. In our tribulations, let us hold fast to the promises of God and never lose hope. He loves us and has our best interest at heart. Despite the difficulties that he faced, Saint Paul still exhorted us all to not get discouraged –

“For this momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory

beyond all comparison.” (2 Cor 4:16–17)

All the suffering in this world will never outweigh the glory that will be ours. This may be hard to understand, but it is the Truth - that we all have in God’s love, the Truth that sets us free, for by the Cross we have been redeemed. Nothing is more practical than finding God and falling in love with Him in an absolute and final way, because that is the surest way there is for us in this life to gain joy and happiness. Jesus on the Cross is not only a symbol of God’s love, but is the reality of God’s universal saving and nourishing love, a reflection of the Father’s love for us. In great meekness and love let us bow down and worship Jesus, the Father’s pure radiance, perfect in innocence and obedient even up to death on the Cross. Ultimately, it is our belief in Him that will decide who we are and where we will be upon our Lord’s return.

Directions:

1. Be humble and obedient to the precept of the Lord. 2. Unite all your trials and sufferings to His Cross.

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(from page 1)

For these reasons, we cannot support provisions of the proposed Reproductive Freedom Act that threaten the life of unborn children or remove existing laws and regulations that are intended to protect the life and health of mothers. For instance, if passed as written, clauses in sections 2 and 3 of the Reproductive Freedom Act would codify a proposal by the State Board of Medical Examiners to amend certain rules for surgeries and procedures. We believe this would, in certain situations, allow non-physicians such as physician assistants and certified midwives to perform abortions in non-hospital settings any time throughout the nine months of pregnancy. Finally, we cannot support any legislation that would eliminate New Jersey’s longstanding legal tradition that protects the freedom of conscience of healthcare workers who do not want to perform or assist with abortions because doing so would violate their most fundamental beliefs as individuals and as healthcare providers. Based on my review, the absence of any language in the Act to protect this clause means …Continued on page 4

Consider this:

What we need is an alter-EGO… In a recent teaching by our BLD Newark Spiritual Director, Msgr. Paul Schetelick, he gave this definition of ego – citing that ego leads to trouble because it’s all about me, and because ego "edges God out." Therefore, what we all really need is the opposite… you might even say, we need an alter-EGO. It’s when we “EXALT GOD ONLY” – because then we’d be able to pursue and gain the most of life’s joys and find the most fulfillment, because the truth is that those can only be obtained through, with and in Him. ********************************************

(from page 3)

that one could challenge, in court, a medical professional’s decision not to perform an abortion for moral, religious, or ethical reasons. Our opposition to this proposed legislation can be summarized in the following terms:

Abortion is not healthcare, and we vigorously oppose all attempts to create a false equivalency between the taking of innocent human life and the “reproductive health” of women in our society.

Justice demands that civil rights and racial equality must be guaranteed for all members of our society, especially for the most vulnerable members of our society, our unborn children. While section 2 of the proposed Act addresses the issue of barriers to healthcare faced by women of color, immigrants, and other disenfranchised and minority populations, it is not necessary to support this legislation to achieve civil rights and racial equality for women in our state. In fact, we believe that the proposed Reproductive Freedom Act does a particular disservice to women of color who are poor or socially disadvantaged because it denies them legal protections against what I personally view as unscrupulous policies or “services” that threaten human life and the dignity of mothers and their children.

The Catholic Church in New Jersey stands with all women and men regardless of race, religion, social or economic status in advocating for universal access to excellent healthcare. We also join with our fellow citizens in demanding that justice be guaranteed for all members of our communities, no matter what their past background or current circumstances are. We oppose the proposed Reproductive Freedom Act because we believe it is not the right way

***************************************** to safeguard the health and dignity of women and children, who are entitled to the best protection and care that our society can offer. We invite all members of our community to join us in letting state legislators and other public officials know that we continue to oppose this legislation in the strongest possible terms.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin, C.Ss.R. Archbishop of Newark

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