At His own Baptism, Our Lord sanctified the waters of Baptism for all of us. When we are baptised, it is for our own sake. When our Lord was baptised, it was not for Himself, but for us.

When we are baptised, we are given sanctifying grace and we are made Christians, children of God and members of the Church. We also share in the ministry of Christ to the world in preaching the Gospel to all nations.

One of Saint John Paul’s most important encyclical letters was Evangelium Vitae (“The Gospel of Life.”) In it, he explained that our preaching on the sanctity of human life is an integral part of the message of Christ for the world, a message especially and urgently needed today. He called on us to celebrate this Gospel of Life because “[it] means to celebrate the God of life, the God who gives life.” (EV 84) In other words, it is not bad news but a message of hope and goodness for all.

Of course we are faced in our own time, in our own country with serious problems concerning human life and its destruction. The saintly Pope made clear that abortion and euthanasia are crimes that no human law can legitimise and that we have a grave duty to oppose anti-life laws by conscientious objection. (EV 73)

Pro-life campaigning and debate in the public square is primarily an apostolate particularly of the laity, though priests also have a responsibility to promote the Gospel of Life though their preaching and witness.

It is important to know that Saint John Paul spoke with particular warmth and compassion to mothers who have had an abortion, inviting them to reconciliation and encouraging them to be eloquent defenders of everyone’s right to life and “promoters of a new way of looking at human life”. (EV 99) The Gospel of Life is not in any way “anti-women” but a fundamental affirmation of all human life.

For all of us, Saint John Paul reflected on the call of our Baptism which makes us members of a holy people. He said:

‘We have been ransomed by the “Author of life” at the price of his precious blood. Through the waters of Baptism we have been made a part of him, as branches which draw nourishment and fruitfulness from the one tree. Interiorly renewed by the grace of the Spirit, “who is the Lord and giver of life”, we have become a people for life and we are called to act accordingly.’ (EV 79)

As we now prepare to offer the holy sacrifice by which Our Lord took away the sins of the world, let us ask Him in our hearts how each of us can best promote the Gospel of Life in our culture today.