Today is the Feast of the Holy Family. This is the family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. The Church has designated the Sunday between Christmas and New Year's Day for this commemoration in order to stress the importance of the family. God instituted marriage and the family when He created Adam and Eve and said: "Be fruitful and multiply." For this reason to interfere with the normal functioning of the family is very wrong. As a matter of fact, each government has the obligation to protect the family institution as we know it: mother, father, and children. Yes, parents—a man and a woman given to each other in marriage—and their children is what makes a family. This is what has been recognized for thousands of years by Christians and non-Christians, by theists and atheists.
The family needs our protection now more than before. It is under attack with the attempt to redefine it. Any redefinition would destroy it, making it unhealthy for children as well as for adults. Why? The answer is simply because God Himself designed the family the way we know it. Departure from God's plan always leads to trouble—serious consequences.
As we enter the New Year, we need to be most aware of what Congress and the president will do regarding the proposed Freedom of Choice Act or FOCA. It will virtually guarantee everyone's freedom to have an abortion without any constriction whatsoever. It would block the freedom of the practice of religion by forbidding any person or institution from refusing abortions. This will lead to the closing of every Catholic hospital in the United States because they could not act against their conscience. God's law prevails over man's law.
Today let us pray that such an incredibly unjust proposal does not become law. Our prayers today must lead to action. Next month, each of us will have the opportunity of doing this by contacting our representatives in Congress to express our opposition.
Remember: abortion is not a Catholic issue. It's not a religious issue. Abortion is a human rights issue.
May you have a very blessed and healthy New Year!
Fr. Stanley
