In today’s First Reading, we see Peter and the Apostle’s response when they are brought before the Sanhedrin, who had warned them to stop teaching in Jesus’ name. They said: “We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had Him killed by hanging Him on a tree.”
The sad events of Good Friday are still fresh in our minds, but we know that Christ triumphed on Easter Sunday. He allowed Himself to be tortured, beaten, bloodied, and killed to save us. And then He rose from the dead to prove that He is God.
It is our job as His children to live our lives in such a way that we thank Him every day for this sacrifice. How do we do that? We follow His laws, not man’s laws.
As we look around the world today, we see that many in government have strayed far from God’s laws and have attempted to create laws and a society that not only deny the humanity of some people but that go directly against the very commands given to us by God. Chief among them is the 5th Commandment that teaches that we must not kill our fellow human beings.
Yet every day we see people doing the exact opposite. Indeed, we see people screaming for the right to do so. Chief among these desires are the “rights” to kill babies before they are born and the “rights” to take a human being’s life if that person is sick or nearing death.
The first is referred to a woman’s “right,” while the second is called “death with dignity.”
But make no mistake: A woman never has the right to take the life of a baby growing inside her body. From the time that baby is first created, he is a unique human being. He is not part of her body.
And regardless of a person’s ability or whether he is nearing the end of his life, he does not lose dignity. Dignity is given to us by God. It does not dimmish, and it can never be taken away.
We all have the right to life, and as children of God, we must work every day to protect that right to life in our fellow human beings. We must speak and teach about that right to life, and we must vote for the people who will uphold that right to life.
That is what Peter and the other Apostles meant when they said that we must obey God rather than man.
Susan Ciancio has a BA in psychology and a BA in sociology from the University of Notre Dame, with an MA in liberal studies from Indiana University. For the past 17 years, she has worked as a professional editor and writer, editing both fiction and nonfiction books, magazine articles, blogs, educational lessons, professional materials and website content. Eleven of those years have been in the pro-life sector. Currently Susan freelances and writes weekly for HLI, edits for American Life League, and is the editor of Celebrate Life Magazine. She also serves as executive editor for the Culture of Life Studies Program-an educational nonprofit program for K-12 students.
Feature Image Credit: amorsanto, https://www.cathopic.com/photo/8953-devocion
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