Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Peace and wellbeing to you. We can all agree that God has created every human life in His image. As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians, “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them (Ephesians 2:10).”
So, we commit ourselves as people of faith to advocate for life from conception to natural death, and all points in between. It is especially important for us to raise our voices on behalf of the most vulnerable among us, including the elderly, the infirm, the impoverished, the immigrant and, of course, the unborn.
The issue of life has come before us in a very central way this year. We rejoiced in the U.S. Supreme Court’s overturning of Roe v. Wade in June. It was the answer to so many years of prayer because it now means federal law provides protection for every precious life that God has created.
Sadly, political leaders at the state level have responded to the overturning of Roe vs. Wade with a proposal to make abortion permanently legal, without any restrictions, in our State Constitution. It is called Prop. 1 and it will be on the Nov. 8 ballot.
I urge you in the strongest possible way to vote ‘NO’ on Prop. 1. It would not only continue the terrible scourge of abortion in our state, it would also increase it, using our tax dollars to bring people from all over the country to receive abortions here. Prop. 1 does not affirm the beauty and value of the life that God gives us. It promotes a culture of death.
The call to Faithful Citizenship invites to participate in the election process by voting if we are eligible and encouraging others to vote if we are not eligible, ourselves. This is a moment when our participation in the election as faithful citizens can be life changing. Let us use our prophetic voices to speak out on the realities of Prop. 1 in the coming weeks. Please do so in a spirit of civility that shows our respect for the dignity of every human person, including those who do not agree with us.
As we make this difficult journey in the political process, let us pray for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of our Diocese and of the unborn.
May God bless you and your loved ones.
In Christ’s Love,
Bishop Alberto Rojas