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October 12, 2026October is Respect Life Month, bringing our attention to the worth of each life from conception to natural death, renewing our awareness of such grace only God can offer.
Speaking on behalf of our Catholic faith Bishop Burbidge of the Diocese of Arlington said, As Catholics in the United States observe Respect Life Month throughout October, we are encouraged to pause and remember the beautiful truth that every human life is precious, created in the image and likeness of our loving God. Reflecting on this we begin to grasp the immense dignity and worth of every human being regardless of age or ability. From the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops website I share this story of a family finding beauty and grace through the presence of a special life..“Soon after the birth of my son Charlie, who has Down syndrome, a visitor asked whether he was“mild, moderate, or severe”—referring to his level of cognitive impairment. I knew the terminology, but the question shocked me. In my arms I held my beautiful baby boy, who defied easy categorization. Clinical labels may describe some aspects of an individual’s “functioning,”but they don’t tell the whole story. Labels could not describe how Charlie’s smile lit up a room or how the sweetness of his soul had captured our hearts so completely. . . .We make accommodations to compensate for the challenges that arise, and his strengths become more apparent. He plays an integral rolPeople often say,“I could never handle a child with a disability.”But the beauty of parenting is that you aren’t given a child with a disability. You are given your child with a disability. Your child enters the world in a relationship with you, and that changes everything. . . .I once read an article in which a woman discussed the reasons for aborting her child with Down syndrome.
The deal-breaker was watching a boy with Down syndrome at a restaurant with his parents: they had to hand-feed him a slice of pizza and wipe his face with a napkin.e in our family’s happiness.This hit home for me. We weaned Charlie off a feeding tube when he was seven, spoon-feeding him and often wiping his face afterwards. I wonder how many people saw us and decided a life like his isn’t worth living. Had anyone asked, I would have said,“It might look a little crazy from the outside, but he’s an amazing little boy, and it’s a good life.”It’s like looking at a stained-glass window from the outside: the colors look dark, and you can’t quite make out the figures. From the inside, however, with the sun shining through it, the effect can be brilliant. From inside our family, love illuminates our life with Charlie. What may seem dreary to others, perhaps even unbearable, is actually filled with beauty and color. We know, for instance, that Charlie worked hard to gain basic feeding skills that most people take for granted, and we are so proud of his valiant efforts.Many parents want perfect children, and our culture is obsessed with superficial perfection. Photos are airbrushed, and social media depicts seemingly perfect lives. . . .Love in a family where one member has a serious disability may look unappealing from the outside. Indeed, love in any family is messy; there are faces to wipe and sacrifices to make. It’s natural to fear that such sacrifices will require too much, but this is where the deep mystery of sacrificial love becomes apparent.
In our family, we have found that our hearts, rather than being weighed down, have become larger. Caring for Charlie has given us more patience, more compassion, and more love for others—especially those on the outskirts of society, whom Pope Francis so often calls us to care for.Perhaps this is why so many families of children with disabilities, despite difficulties, often radiate joy. . . .“Many know this on an intellectual level, but those who love someone with a disability see it in their loved one’s face in a particular way. Our love for our children has nothing to do with their abilities. We love them simply because of who they are, and understanding this teaches us how to truly love everyone. We also begin to understand our own worth, which depends not on our skills or appearance, but solely on the fact that we are created in the image and likeness of God and loved by Him. Our lives—all our lives—are worth living.”Father and maker of all, you adorn all creation with splendor and beauty, and fashion human lives in your image and likeness.Awaken in every heart reverence for the work of your hands, and renew among your people a readiness to nurture and sustain your precious gift of life.Amen.
God Bless, Fr. Tim
FYI:“I am proud to have been born in Iowa. Through the eyes of a ten-year-old boy, it was a place of adventure and daily discoveries - the wonder of the growing crops, the excitements of the harvest, the journeys to the woods. . .” (Herbert Hoover)