The Path of Life

It is well known that Christianity has had a long history in advocating the dignity of the human person. In the Didache, for example, we can read early pronouncements against abortion. But it speaks about more than abortion. It says that there are two paths, the way of death and the way of life, and Christians are called to follow the path of life:

There are two ways, one of life and one of death; but a great difference between the two ways. The way of life, then, is this: First, you shall love God who made you; second, your neighbour as yourself; and all things whatsoever you would should not occur to you, do not also do to another. And of these sayings the teaching is this: Bless those who curse you, and pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you. For what reward is there, if you love those who love you? Do not also the Gentiles do the same? But love those who hate you, and you shall not have an enemy.[1]

Christians are to promote the way of life, and the way of life is the way of love. It is to look beyond the friend/foe distinction, but rather, to look even at one’s enemies as one who is to be loved. Even if they threaten you, even if they persecute you, even if they are willing to kill you, the Christian response can only be the response of love. This is what it takes to be pro-life: it is to be pro-love. It is not just a desire to eliminate abortion, but rather, it is a desire to preserve all life and to help everyone achieve human dignity and respect.

This, of course, is why the death penalty smacks as running contrary to Christian teaching. This is why war can never be said to be Christian. They might seem to make perfect “worldly” sense, but neither can be seen as promoting life. Both seek to turn the enemy into an object to be eliminated, not as a subject capable of being transformed by the grace of God. It is the rejection of grace; in either case, they demonstrate a lack of faith in God. The Christian, of course, must put their faith in God, faith in the ability of God to transform even the vilest of criminals into great saints. The way of life is not an easy path. It requires vulnerability. It requires a willingness to live out that love, even if it requires self-sacrifice. All the responses which try to somehow claim to be pro-life but show not this call to love fails to be anything more than an attempt at worldly control, to find a way to manipulate others for one’s own hidden agenda.  It is impossible to promote life if one does not promote the dignity and respect which can only be had out of love. People are not fools. They can see when someone really is pro-life, who really respects life, and when someone just claims to promote life for political gain. Life is not an issue of politics, of political gain, and indeed, true promotion of life is more likely to cost someone political gain than to achieve it.  Who in the time of war, for example, is willing to admit their enemies need to be shown love? And yet this is exactly the Christian demand.

St John Chrysostom gives us the example of St David, showing us just how far we must go in order to prove ourselves as a people dedicated to the promotion of life. David, when he had Saul in his hands, could have taken his life. However, David showed mercy and was not willing to kill him, even though Saul has sought David’s life. The result is that David was found worthy of praise because he followed with the path of life. David earned many rewards for this good deed; we too, will earn rewards if we follow the path of life and the love which is expected of us:

Give thought to this, then, when you have in your power the one who harmed you, that sparing is much more worthwhile and advantageous than killing; the one who kills will in many cases also condemn himself and have a bad conscience, each day and each hour haunted by that sin, whereas the one who spares and bears up for a short time will later rejoice and exult, expecting realisation of their hopes and looking forward to reward for forbearance from God. Should such people ever fall foul of trouble, they will with great confidence look to God for recompense, just as likewise this man also enjoyed all this, eventually receiving generous and remarkable rewards from God for looking after this enemy of his.[2]

In this way, though we must not expect worldly success because of our actions, it is not that such success is impossible. Indeed, many people who act out of love have turned enemies into close, dear friends. This is indeed success. Many who have shown the path of love have been revered for their love. This, again, is success. But it is not the reason why we follow the way of life. We follow the way of life because we have encountered the Lord of Life. We know no other path leads to beatitude than the path of life. An eye for an eye is the way of the world, while the way of Christ is to love those who persecute us, to forgive them because they know not what they do. This is not an easy path to follow, which is why it is narrow rarely traversed.  Concupiscence leads us to want revenge. But, if we are to fight the powers that be, the fallen powers which seek to consume the world in death, we must overcome their influence over ourselves. Christians must once again become a people who promotes life. We must be a people of love. This is how they will know we are Christians, this is how they will know we are pro-life: if we respond with forgiveness, if we respond with love.