Editor's Note
Conception, Birth and Death in December
In the last month of the year, the Church celebrates important feasts that correspond to the three most significant events in mortal life. On December 8th, she reminds us of the beginning of life by commemorating the conception – without original sin -- of the woman who would bear Christ. That birth is celebrated, of course, at Christmas. And December 28th is the Feast of the Holy Innocents, the babies who were martyred by Herod’s men in his attempt to exterminate the Messiah. (This year, because the 28th falls on a Sunday within the Octave of Christmas, the movable Feast of the Holy Family takes precedence in the liturgy.)
Taken together, these days in the life of the Church highlight its campaign against the modern martyrdom of innocent unborn children through abortion. The dogma of the Immaculate Conception clearly emphasizes our Catholic belief that human life begins at conception: Conception – not birth – was the moment God chose to bestow a special exemption on the future mother of the Redeemer. At the birth of Jesus, Scripture and the Christmas liturgy tell us that the coming of a Child is cause for joy, not sorrow. Yet we are reminded by the fate of the Holy Innocents that the world and its rulers, out of a desire to secure political power, can act in a way that threatens and even destroys innocent human life.
Catholics in North Carolina can take the lessons of December into the month of January, and amplify the voice of the Church at two events. On January 17th, the annual North Carolina Rally and March for Life takes place in the capital of our State. And on January 22nd, in the capital of our nation, Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of the Diocese of Raleigh and Bishop Peter J. Jugis of the Diocese of Charlotte, will celebrate a Mass for Life at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, followed by the National March for Life. Both events are opportunities to act on behalf of the Holy Innocents of today.
Thanks as always for your letters. You can write me at 715 Nazareth Street, Raleigh, NC 27606 or reece@raldioc.org.