Rigali Channels B16

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The new chairman of the US Bishops' pro-life committee gave an interview to his diocesan paper which included this on the natural law:

The Church counts on all her members to bring their expertise to show how the truth she proclaims — that comes from Jesus Christ — is a truth not only for those who believe in Christ, but it is something that is in our nature.

“We know in our hearts that ‘Thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not commit adultery, thou shalt not steal.’ We know all these things because they are revealed by God in
their fullness through Jesus Christ, but they are already in our nature because of the natural law. “So we count on people to do this and we ask people to exercise this responsibility in any field,” Cardinal Rigali added, “whether that be as a parent, a legislator, a teacher. The Church is convinced that her members, and others of good will, have a great power and we want them to be mindful that they exercise power and that this power can be exercised for good or for evil.”

And this on methods:

Christianity is not a police force. There is no way in the world you can force people, because these are not God’s instructions. To challenge them, yes, to force them only by the compelling power of truth itself — not physical force. All we can do is take into account the great gift of freedom that we can, and must, proclaim the message to all those who will freely accept it.”

That challenge is made to all who are engaged in the fight for life — to never stop extending the invitation of Christ, even to those who repeatedly reject it. Instead, Cardinal Rigali said, “We must pray for them, understand them in their weakness, try to convince them, strive to explain it well. And when we have explained it, we must explain it again and again and again.”