AMERICA/PANAMA -
Panama City (Agenzia Fides) – Archbishop Jose Dimas Cedeño Delgado of Panama City wrote a letter to all the faithful of the Archdiocese, recalling the fact that in several countries with a strong Catholic tradition, an official "Day of the Unborn Child" has been established by law, on the same date on which the Church celebrates the liturgical feast of the Incarnation of the Son of God in the most pure womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary (the Annunciation) on March 25. "For a Christian," he says, "there are more than enough reasons to make this liturgical celebration a special occasion to celebrate life."
"This culminating point in the history of our salvation," the Archbishop says, "took place when God sent His Son into the world, assuming our human nature. Not only did he elevate its dignity, but through it He voluntarily offered Himself as Victim for the propitiation of our sins on the altar of the Cross and with His glorious Resurrection, He made us participants in His eternal life. Christ's victory over sin and death is also our victory and the guarantee for our eternal life."
It is precisely the Mystery of the Incarnation that makes reference to life and this feast helps us to reaffirm our faith in the God of Life, who in assuming our nature makes us participate in His nature. "Thus, it is a special occasion to acknowledge the gift of our life, which began at the moment of conception," the text continues. In light of this, Bishop Dimas warns that we should not let ourselves be influenced by certain materialistic pseudo-scientific theories "that victoriously affirm that human life begins several weeks or months after conception." On the contrary, "true science and reason acknowledge that the human being begins to exist in the moment in which the necessary elements that produce conception are joined in the mother's uterus."
Given that human life is an exclusive gift from God, human life is sacred from conception until natural death. Thus, "an attack on human life would be a rejection of God and a crime whose cry reaches heaven, especially when it is a human life that is in the process of maturing, is vulnerable, innocent, and without any means of self-defense."
"It is worthwhile celebrating the feast of the Incarnation on March 25, with great solemnity, giving thanks to the Lord for the gift of Jesus Christ His Son, for our own life and especially for the millions of children who, awaiting the day of their birth, are vulnerable to being killed by the same people who conceived them, thus having to pay with innocence and injustice for the irresponsibility of persons who only sought pleasure without valuing life," the Prelate affirmed. Although in Panama, there is no law declaring March 25th the Day of the Unborn Child, Bishop Dimas asks all those who believe in the God of life to celebrate this day dedicated to the unborn, "inspired by natural law and our faith." Thus, he asks that all the parishes hold Holy Hours, Rosaries, and Masses, "for the millions of unborn children and their mothers, and see it as an honor that they can be instruments of God in protecting and giving society this great gift of human life."
(RG) (Agenzia Fides 16/3/2009)
