One of St. John Paul II's most enduring legacies is his strong support of life, from conception to natural death. He spent his entire papacy advocating for the unborn, compiling his beliefs in one of his most powerful encyclical letters, Evangelium Vitae.
A striking statement in this document connects the rejection of the unborn, ultimately, with a rejection of Jesus Christ.
He begins this statement by referring to Revelation 12 and how it can be interpreted in a more broad sense, referring to every human child.
This leads St. John Paul II to make the connection to abortion specifically, but also to any crime against human life broadly.
St. John Paul II wanted to make it clear that every offense against humans, especially the most vulnerable of society, is in truth an offense against Jesus Christ.
It is a difficult teaching, but as St. John Paul II points out, it is rooted in the Gospel. A person may not deliberately believe they are rejecting Jesus, but that is the case whenever we sin.
Every sin we commit is a way we reject God and his plan for us, whether that sin is small or big.
Let us cry out to God and ask forgiveness for any time we have rejected him, and do all that we can to support the most vulnerable of society, from conception to natural death.
