Cherishing life is never a cause of embarrassment
Cherishing life is part of Malta’s character and we should own this fact despite what other countries believe abroad, Auxiliary Archbishop Joseph Galea-Curmi said yesterday.
Galea-Curmi delivered a homily on the importance of being in favour of life at the Saint John’s Cathedral, on the occasion of the Day for Life.
“I once read that the strength of any society is measured by the progress of its weakest members. This is the main message I would like to convey today on the Day for Life,” he said.
“Our meeting here today is not against someone or something. On the contrary, we have met here today because we are for something, not against.”
Galea Curmi said he believes that anyone who stands for life must protect and cherish life from the very moment of conception until its natural end, since when human life already exists, there must never be a moment when we decide who lives or dies.
“One cannot separate civil liberties from the right to life, from a person’s right to be born and eventually make his or her own decisions.”
There is nothing more vulnerable than human life itself, GaleaCurmi explained, and the protection of the life of those who are vulnerable is the measure by which society can be considered to be humane.
He used the people at sea who find themselves struggling for life, crying out for a helping hand that will save them from a watery grave, as an example of the importance of showing care and attention towards every life and make sure that everyone feels loved.
“Being for life also includes future generations which is why the church is working earnestly for future generations to be born, to live and thrive in a dignified environment where their potential can be nurtured and cultivated,” GaleaCurmi added.
He said that “we must work concretely for the protection of life of these people, to ensure that they will not become victims of indifference and of a throwaway culture, as Pope Francis decries frequently.”
This should never depend on popular consent or on current trends, he said, but rather it should be a matter of principle.
“If our work in favour of life at all stages underlines our identity as Maltese, then we would find no difficulty to continue treasuring this principle even when other countries believe otherwise. Cherishing life is never a cause of embarrassment, even if we are a ‘sign of contradiction’.”
He concluded by saying that speaking in favour of life is not enough as words require concrete action of solidarity with those who find themselves in difficulty; for example those who are struggling to accept a new life. In this context, he thanked the Life Network Foundation which opened ‘Dar Tgħanniqa t’Omm’ that provides shelter to mothers who need help during pregnancy, which has already saved several infants, while their mothers received all the support they needed.
“The Day for Life shows us that the strength of any society is measured by the attention we give to its weakest members and by the progress of those who are most vulnerable. Let us continue to strive in order to have a society where life is treasured with love.”