Pause to reflect on sanctity of human life

On the days surrounding January 22, 2019, many of us traveled to Washington, D.C., and to the Statehouse in Trenton to rally for life in commemoration of the 46th anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in our land. We gathered to pray, sadly acknowledging the horrific reality that abortion remains legal in our country, taking the lives of more than 60 million of our brothers and sisters since 1973.
Woefully, New Jersey remains one of the few states that has no restrictions on abortion and there are now efforts here to legalize assisted suicide, putting the dying, the frail elderly and those with disabilities at great risk.  
What unites us at these events is a reverence for the sacredness of all human life and the sense of awe — that God creates each of us uniquely, he loves us and he never gives up on us.
Recently, I personally experienced that sense of awe when I was given the amazing gift of being invited into the delivery room to witness the birth of my first granddaughter.  
Imagine, I was present with my son and daughter-in-law the moment Emilia Joy entered the world. After hours of labor our new baby girl finally emerged. We were awestruck as we cried tears of joy. I was invited in to rejoice in the gift of new life and it is a day I will truly never forget!  
This experience reminds me of a news story I came across several years ago about the delivery of another baby — a little baby boy. Unfortunately, this baby was not born in a hospital birthing suite, surrounded by medical professionals and his loving family. No. He was born in a small, dark, drafty room in an apartment building in Queens, N.Y. His mom, a young Mexican woman, went into labor completely alone and deathly afraid.  
New in this country, the woman had hidden her pregnancy from family. She had few friends. After hours of excruciating labor, the baby was born. Through her tears of despair she realized that her baby boy was not crying. Panicking, she wrapped him in a clean towel and, with umbilical cord still attached, she started to look for a warm, safe place for him.
She immediately considered her church.  “My church has nice priests and nice people,” she thought. “If I leave him there, I leave him in God’s hands and he will be okay.”
It was just before Christmas and the Church maintenance man had just set up the indoor nativity scene. While sweeping the Church he suddenly heard a baby crying. The cries led him to the manger where he found a newborn baby boy swaddled in towels! He ran to call 911. Thankfully when the paramedics arrived they found him in perfect health.
No one knew where the baby came from. The story soon went viral and headlines hailed: “Newborn Baby found in a Manger!” One week later, the young mother came forward and told her story.
Thank God for this mother, who in her time of fear and distress, chose life. Too often in the news we hear similar stories that do not end as well — a newborn tossed on the side of a road or stuffed in a dumpster. As frightened as this poor mother was, she gave her child a chance at life. She left him in a place where she knew he would be safe, the House of God.
In a world that so often says, “No room at the Inn” to those in need, she found a manger, a sanctuary in the church. Her parish was warm, welcoming and a place where she could turn in her crisis. In this case the parish priests, staff and community were invited in to rejoice in the gift of new life! The parish community quickly fell in love with him and several families offered to adopt him.
Certainly it is easy to love a newborn baby. However, often times God invites us in to rejoice in the lives of others who are vulnerable and weak, in situations where it is harder to find joy.  
Over the past few years, God has called me to manage the care of my aging father. His body has been ravaged by Parkinson’s disease and his mind is now impaired by dementia. Many people would argue that his life has no quality and perhaps we should offer him a hastened death through assisted suicide, a practice that has been gaining acceptance in states across the country. But God has invited me in to journey with my dad in his final days.
It is not easy to watch someone you love decline. Like the young mom, I have felt alone and afraid. I have cried tears of despair. But I am being called to learn compassion, to love, to serve and to, hopefully, grow in holiness. Thankfully, he has no pain, he still has a sense of humor and he still remembers who I am.
Where is God inviting you? Who are you being called to love, to serve and welcome? Will you accept or decline the invitation? I pray that each of us take time this day to reflect with awe on the sacredness of all human life — the baby in the womb, the newborn child, the elderly parent, the sick neighbor, the stranger in our community. May God give us the graces, so that others might find in us a safe place where they can turn in need. May God make each of us instruments of his love and peace.
Ruggiero is director, diocesan Office of Human Life and Dignity