{"id":11543,"date":"2015-09-16T10:02:00","date_gmt":"2015-09-16T10:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month-67319\/"},"modified":"2015-09-16T10:02:00","modified_gmt":"2015-09-16T10:02:00","slug":"heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/","title":{"rendered":"Here&#8217;s what Cardinal O&#8217;Malley has to say for Respect Life month"},"content":{"rendered":"<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\">\n<html><head><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><meta http-equiv=\"content-type\" content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\"><\/head><body><p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Cardinal_Sean_OMalley_enters_the_Basilica_of_the_National_Shrine_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_for_the_2015_Vigil_for_Life_Jan_22_2015_Credit_Addie_Mena_CNA_CNA_1_22_15.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is \u201cworth living,\u201d says Cardinal Sean O'Malley, head of the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cAn elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer \u2013 each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,\u201d the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as \u201cRespect Life Month.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cWe were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,\u201d he added. \u201cOur relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\tOctober is \u201cRespect Life Month\u201d as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life.<\/p>\n<p>\tThe theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is \u201cEvery Life is Worth Living.\u201d The U.S. Bishops\u2019 Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care.<\/p>\n<p>\tSome of the articles included are titled \u201cSupporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,\u201d \u201c10 ways to support her when she\u2019s unexpectedly expecting,\u201d and \u201cMaggie\u2019s story,\u201d the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father.<\/p>\n<p>\tMany might judge a life based upon a person\u2019s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O\u2019Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cSo often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<p>\tHowever, God has created each person in His \u201cimage and likeness\u201d and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\tWe are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cThis might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer \u2013 bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>\tUltimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>\t\u201cLet us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God\u2019s standards,\u201d he said. \u201cHe does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"feedflare\">\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=Zmf2AlfvubE:W7yA_4LLCUc:yIl2AUoC8zA\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/Zmf2AlfvubE\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Cardinal_Sean_OMalley_enters_the_Basilica_of_the_National_Shrine_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_for_the_2015_Vigil_for_Life_Jan_22_2015_Credit_Addie_Mena_CNA_CNA_1_22_15.jpg\"><\/p>\n<p>Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (<a href=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/\" target=\"_self\">CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is &ldquo;worth living,&rdquo; says Cardinal Sean O&#8217;Malley, head of the U.S. bishops&#8217; pro-life committee.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer &ndash; each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,&rdquo; the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as &ldquo;Respect Life Month.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;We were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Our relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>\tOctober is &ldquo;Respect Life Month&rdquo; as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life.<\/p>\n<p>\tThe theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care.<\/p>\n<p>\tSome of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father.<\/p>\n<p>\tMany might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated.<\/p>\n<p>\tHowever, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\tWe are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained.<\/p>\n<p>\tUltimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded.<\/p>\n<p>\t&ldquo;Let us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God&rsquo;s standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?a=Zmf2AlfvubE:W7yA_4LLCUc:yIl2AUoC8zA\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~ff\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews?d=yIl2AUoC8zA\" border=\"0\"><\/a>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/feeds.feedburner.com\/~r\/catholicnewsagency\/dailynews\/~4\/Zmf2AlfvubE\" height=\"1\" width=\"1\" alt=\"\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11543","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-us"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Here&#039;s what Cardinal O&#039;Malley has to say for Respect Life month<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is &ldquo;worth living,&rdquo; says Cardinal Sean O&#039;Malley, head of the U.S. bishops&#039; pro-life committee. &ldquo;An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer &ndash; each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,&rdquo; the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as &ldquo;Respect Life Month.&rdquo; &ldquo;We were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Our relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.&rdquo; October is &ldquo;Respect Life Month&rdquo; as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life. The theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care. Some of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father. Many might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person. &ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated. However, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added. We are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added. &ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained. Ultimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded. &ldquo;Let us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God&rsquo;s standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.&rdquo;\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Here&#039;s what Cardinal O&#039;Malley has to say for Respect Life month\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is &ldquo;worth living,&rdquo; says Cardinal Sean O&#039;Malley, head of the U.S. bishops&#039; pro-life committee. &ldquo;An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer &ndash; each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,&rdquo; the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as &ldquo;Respect Life Month.&rdquo; &ldquo;We were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Our relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.&rdquo; October is &ldquo;Respect Life Month&rdquo; as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life. The theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care. Some of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father. Many might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person. &ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated. However, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added. We are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added. &ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained. Ultimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded. &ldquo;Let us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God&rsquo;s standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.&rdquo;\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Catholic News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2015-09-16T10:02:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Cardinal_Sean_OMalley_enters_the_Basilica_of_the_National_Shrine_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_for_the_2015_Vigil_for_Life_Jan_22_2015_Credit_Addie_Mena_CNA_CNA_1_22_15.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"CNA Daily News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/\",\"name\":\"Here's what Cardinal O'Malley has to say for Respect Life month\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2015-09-16T10:02:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2015-09-16T10:02:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1\"},\"description\":\"Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is &ldquo;worth living,&rdquo; says Cardinal Sean O'Malley, head of the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee. &ldquo;An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer &ndash; each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,&rdquo; the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as &ldquo;Respect Life Month.&rdquo; &ldquo;We were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Our relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.&rdquo; October is &ldquo;Respect Life Month&rdquo; as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life. The theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care. Some of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father. Many might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person. &ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated. However, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added. We are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added. &ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained. 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It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life. The theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care. Some of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father. Many might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person. &ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated. However, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added. We are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added. &ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained. Ultimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded. &ldquo;Let us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God&rsquo;s standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.&rdquo;","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Here's what Cardinal O'Malley has to say for Respect Life month","og_description":"Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is &ldquo;worth living,&rdquo; says Cardinal Sean O'Malley, head of the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee. &ldquo;An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer &ndash; each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,&rdquo; the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as &ldquo;Respect Life Month.&rdquo; &ldquo;We were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Our relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.&rdquo; October is &ldquo;Respect Life Month&rdquo; as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life. The theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care. Some of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father. Many might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person. &ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated. However, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added. We are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added. &ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained. Ultimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded. &ldquo;Let us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God&rsquo;s standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.&rdquo;","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/","og_site_name":"Catholic News","article_published_time":"2015-09-16T10:02:00+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/images\/size340\/Cardinal_Sean_OMalley_enters_the_Basilica_of_the_National_Shrine_of_the_Immaculate_Conception_for_the_2015_Vigil_for_Life_Jan_22_2015_Credit_Addie_Mena_CNA_CNA_1_22_15.jpg"}],"author":"CNA Daily News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"CNA Daily News","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/","name":"Here's what Cardinal O'Malley has to say for Respect Life month","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website"},"datePublished":"2015-09-16T10:02:00+00:00","dateModified":"2015-09-16T10:02:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1"},"description":"Washington D.C., Sep 16, 2015 \/ 04:02 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- While people might think of illness, disability age or inconvenience as something that detracts from human dignity, every life is &ldquo;worth living,&rdquo; says Cardinal Sean O'Malley, head of the U.S. bishops' pro-life committee. &ldquo;An elderly man whose health is quickly deteriorating; an unborn baby girl whose diagnosis indicates she may not live long; a little boy with Down syndrome; a mother facing terminal cancer &ndash; each may have great difficulties and need our assistance, but each of their lives is worth living,&rdquo; the Boston cardinal said in his statement for October as &ldquo;Respect Life Month.&rdquo; &ldquo;We were made to love and be loved; we are meant to depend on one another, serving each other in humility and walking together in times of suffering,&rdquo; he added. &ldquo;Our relationships are meant to help us grow in perfect love.&rdquo; October is &ldquo;Respect Life Month&rdquo; as observed by U.S. Catholics. It marks the beginning of a year-long program for Catholics to learn more about respect for the dignity of human life, as well as encouraging prayer for a greater respect for life. The theme for the 2015 Respect Life Month is &ldquo;Every Life is Worth Living.&rdquo; The U.S. Bishops&rsquo; Respect Life Program has provided reading materials for Catholics on topics like abortion and end-of-life care. Some of the articles included are titled &ldquo;Supporting families who receive a prenatal diagnosis,&rdquo; &ldquo;10 ways to support her when she&rsquo;s unexpectedly expecting,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Maggie&rsquo;s story,&rdquo; the personal testimony of a woman who attended to her terminally ill father. Many might judge a life based upon a person&rsquo;s accomplishments or status, Cardinal O&rsquo;Malley said, but to judge a life according to this standard would be a false judgment. Rather, the true worth of a life is found in the human dignity bestowed by God on each person. &ldquo;So often, as a society and as individuals, we identify ourselves by what we do. We base our worth on how productive we are at work or at home, and we determine our lives to be more or less good depending on the degree of independence or pleasure,&rdquo; he stated. However, God has created each person in His &ldquo;image and likeness&rdquo; and to spend eternity with Him in heaven, he added. We are all called to the challenge of caring for those suffering around us, he added. &ldquo;This might mean slowing down and taking the time to listen. It might mean providing respite care or preparing meals for a family facing serious illness. It might mean simply being present and available. And of course, it always means prayer &ndash; bringing their needs before the Father and asking him to work in their lives,&rdquo; he explained. Ultimately, we must rid ourselves of our notions that life can be perfected, he concluded. &ldquo;Let us learn to let go of our own standards of perfection and instead learn more deeply how to live according to God&rsquo;s standards,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;He does not call us to perfect efficiency or material success; he calls us to self-sacrificial love.&rdquo;","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2015\/09\/heres-what-cardinal-omalley-has-to-say-for-respect-life-month\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Here&#8217;s what Cardinal O&#8217;Malley has to say for Respect Life month"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/","name":"Catholic News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/35d4bd7addc580050842c844a11575f1","name":"CNA Daily News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/8f1180c7dca7995d4a997aac72a3a88a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"CNA Daily News"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/"],"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/author\/cna-daily-news\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11543","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1031"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11543"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11543\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11543"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11543"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11543"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}