Bishop Noonan calls for reflection on sanctity of life during annual day
Believers across the Diocese of Orlando observed the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children on January 22, a day when the Catholic Church reflects on the value of life from conception to natural death. Bishop John Noonan addressed parishioners in a letter that emphasized prayer and reflection regarding abortion and respect for human dignity.
“We pray that God forgive our communal participation through the ages of the Supreme Court of the United States decisions of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decriminalizing abortion in 1973. We pray for one another as we struggle to make sense out of our belief in life and our lack of courage to speak against the culture of death. We pray for those who suffer because of an abortion and ask that they be healed with God’s everlasting peace. We pray for ourselves that we grasp how God asks us to bring life to light through the Gospel,” Bishop Noonan wrote.
He noted that perceptions about “the worst of times” have persisted throughout history, suggesting such times arise when people turn away from God. Bishop Noonan reflected, “Most people will not experience a killing personally, or the murder of a person by another’s hand. Yet, in many ways, we choose to participate in these acts of sinfulness, when we deny the dignity and sacredness of any one person.” He cited Proverbs: “The fruit of justice is a tree of life, and one who takes lives is a sage” (Proverbs 11:30).
Bishop Noonan referenced *Evangelium Vitae* (The Gospel of Life), emphasizing its message on human life’s inviolability: “The Gospel of life is at the heart of Jesus’ message. Lovingly received day after day by the Church, it is to be preached with dauntless fidelity as ‘good news’ to the people of every age and culture” (EV 1).
He described Jesus’s mission as bringing abundant life: “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). The bishop said this call extends beyond earthly existence since believers share in divine life.
Bishop Noonan urged Catholics to honor this gift by embodying Christ’s presence: “Through, with and in all time, through all ages, we bequeath this gift of life to one another by offering ourselves as the face of Jesus; for by doing so this gift marvelously fulfils all the heart’s expectations while infinitely surpasses them (EV 2). The sacred value of human life from its very beginning until its end is affirmed by God’s gift…”
He also quoted from *Gaudium et Spes*: “Whatever is opposed to life itself…such as any type of murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia…whatever violates integrity…all these things and others like them are infamies indeed…they are a supreme dishonor to the Creator.”
On this annual day dedicated to prayer for unborn children’s legal protection, Bishop Noonan concluded: “Let us affirm the sacredness of everyone whom we encounter, that the bond of heaven sweeps away the darkness…”
The Diocese of Orlando was established in 1968. It comprises 79 parishes along with missions and Catholic schools across several counties including Brevard, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Seminole, Sumter, and Volusia under Bishop John Noonan’s leadership.
