From the Telegraph:

Once again, as a society and as individuals, we are poised to cross a bridge which will take us further from the Bible’s teaching about the ultimate dignity of human beings which cannot be harmed by other humans, except in the most tightly-controlled circumstances of self-defence or of public order. This is not just about the possibility of making a moral ‘mistake’ but of moral culpability, of sinning against our neighbour who is, like us, made in God’s image. The Church’s task, here is not just to guard the consciences of its own members but to point society to its moral and spiritual basis. It is on this that a cohesive view of national life rests and it is this which will save us from the fragmentation and insularity between different communities which we have seen in recent years. If we do not have a common view about the dignity and sanctity of human life, what else can we have in common?

Read it all. I find this to be a very compelling argument from a Christian perspective, especially after having to deal with my own mother’s and father-in-law’s deaths. What do you think?

The Song of Songs says aptly: “Who is this who moves forward like the advancing dawn?” Holy Church, inasmuch as she keeps searching for the rewards of eternal life, has been called the dawn. While she turns her back on the darkness of sins, she begins to shine with the light of righteousness.

This reference to the dawn conjures up a still more subtle consideration. The dawn intimates  that the night is over; it does not yet proclaim the full light of day. While it dispels the darkness and welcomes the light, it holds both of them, the one mixed with the other, as it were. Are not all of us who follow the truth in this life daybreak and dawn? While we do some things which already belong to the light, we are not free from the remnants of darkness.

It will be fully day for the Church of the elect when she is no longer darkened by the shadow of sin. What is the place of dawn but the perfect clearness of eternal vision? When dawn has been brought there, it will retain nothing belonging to the darkness of night.

—Gregory the Great, Moral Reflections on Job, 29:2-4

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

—Philippians 4:11-13 (TNIV)

Here we see Paul truly denying self. He lives for Christ and is empowered by him to meet any hardships that come his way. This does NOT mean that Paul was immune to suffering, hurt, or heartache. Rather, it means that he had power to deal with anything that life threw at him—the power of Christ.

Implicit in this passage is the notion that Paul put his faith to work. His faith did not result in him curling up and waiting for Jesus to deliver the goods. No, Paul drew on his faith in the midst of his work.

Notice too the new perspective on life. Paul’s priorities were not focused on himself but on the Living Christ. If you sometimes wonder what “dying to self” means, reflect on this passage.