ANGELUS SEPTEMBER 8, 1985
Save the unborn man from the threat of born man
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
While united now with many believers all over the world, we say the Angelus,
this Marian prayer is today of particular significance. In the liturgical
calendar of the Church the eighth of September is the Feast of the Birth of Our
Lady, exactly nine months after the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of
the Mother of God, on the eighth of December. When determining the dates of
these two church festivals, the natural period of time of a human pregnancy was
taken into consideration. Thus, these nine months in the development of a human
being in the mother's womb are honoured and sanctified in a special manner.
The developing human life in the mother's womb, having come into being
as a result of the power of creation of God in mysterious cooperation with the
life-giving power of man and woman, is from the first moment of conception a
gift particularly worthy of protection. Also the mother herself, bearing
the nascent and developing human child under her heart, deserves the highest
degree of respect, reverence and recognition. Hence, on this feast of the Birth
of Our Lady I call upon you to give special recognition to the complete human
dignity of the child developing in the womb and to treat the mother-to-be with
respect and esteem, with love and sensitivity.
Say yes to human life in all its stages. Understandably, you do your
utmost to conserve the environment, the plants and animals. Therefore, be even
more decisive in saying yes to human life which in the order of things
stands far above all created realities of the visible world. Save the unborn man
from the threat of born man, who presumes to destroy and kill the child in the
mother's womb.
At the same time, the great joy we as believers feel and celebrate today in
the Birth of God's Mother places heavy demands upon us all:
fundamentally we should be joyful when a child comes into being in a
mother's womb and when it enters the world. Even if the birth of a child
sometimes causes hardship, sacrifices, restrictions and burdens, the baby should
always be accepted and feel safe in the love of its parents. In difficult
situations, the responsible and above all the believing person will -- with the
help of others -- usually be able to find a solution befitting a human being. By
mastering such problems, man will mature and develop the right attitude towards
values and dignity, purpose and aims of human life.
Mary, the dawn of Salvation, who bore Christ for us, the Sun of justice,
conveys with maternal light this attitude, so necessary to everybody in today's
world. The Festival of her Birth is a Festival of Life for us.
Trusting in her intercession we shall now say the Angelus: Angelus Domini
nuntiavit Mariae...
Teachings of the
Magisterium on Abortion
