ZENIT gave the above title to the Pope’s message for Lent 2012. It comes from the fifth paragraph of the Message and is pertinent to this month’s Life Truths column.

The shocking news that the United States Obama administration has deliberately attacked religious freedom of conscience has mostly been ignored by the print media, yet it has created an unprecedented response from the hierarchy of the US Catholic Church. The decree is that religious organisations, particularly Catholic, who employ people, such as universities, hospitals, adoption centres and businesses, must pay for insurance coverage of contraception and abortifacients, against the moral principles of the organisations.

Let us make it clear: this article is about the proclamation of the truth as it pertains to our daily life and its consequences for our eternal life, not about the USA. We specifically address very relevant issues that help destroy marriage and family: contraception and those issues linked to this evil, sterilisation and the holocaust of human lives - abortion.

The US situation is used as a current example of the attacks on Christianity that are increasing worldwide. The Roman Catholic Church is particularly targeted because it has stood for certain truths of nature that are increasingly rejected by the selfish societies in which the Church lives.

Catholic bishops have issued an unprecedented response by having statements read to parish congregations denouncing the administration’s anti-Catholic action. With the US presidential election coming up this year, Catholic voters, 54 percent of whom voted to elect Obama as president, possibly may not vote for him again.

The administration may be gambling that the rank-and-file Catholics, many of whom use contraception, will not be supportive of the vigorous protest by Catholic hierarchy against this attack on their religious freedom of conscience.

This brings us to the crux of this article: far too many Catholics do not know, or are convinced its “no big thing”, that contraception, sterilisation and abortion are grave evils. However, the Church teaches that contraception is intrinsically evil. This simply means that the intention and act, deliberately done, is never good no matter what the excuse, it is always evil.

The reason that contraception is an “intrinsic evil” is because fertility is a part of a person’s being, which is a gift from God - his command is “be fruitful, multiply” (Genesis 1:28; 9:7). Contraception is the withholding of a vitally important and intrinsic part of oneself from the other and, in marriage, that is a denial of the meaning of marriage and a sin against the marriage vows. Contraception outside of marriage, of course, is to indulge in another sin: fornication. Unfortunately, that too seems to be “no big thing” all too often!

As a result of this tepid belief in the commandments of God, marriage and family life and love are increasingly in jeopardy. Unfortunately, this awful condition is accepted as part of life as there is little common societal example of respect for the only institution that God founded to help humanity know how to love in a Godly way.

Catholicism has helped create Western civilisation with its respect for creation and human life, which is the pinnacle of creation, and the laws and principles that support these goods. We are in the midst of a gathering darkness of sin: the denial of God’s existence and putting nature above the dignity of human beings, so much so that many influential people see man as a cancer, eating away at “mother earth” that needs to be destroyed.

For example, K Wood, an environmental scientist with 15 years professional experience has written: “Humans are exceptional in one respect - in their ability to sequester all the resources for themselves. In nature, when a virus or bacterial infection spreads unchecked, it is called a disease. When an organism multiplies without restraint, it is referred to as a biological nuisance. When cells grow out of control, it is cancer. Within nature, people are a cancer upon the planet.”

Catholic people need to be the light of truth that shines in the darkness. We need to rediscover our Catholic culture and identity: the virtues that enhance life and love and manifest the fruits of the Kingdom of God; the moral principles that bring goodness to the society; both of which store up “treasure in heaven”.

As mentioned earlier, Christianity, particularly Catholicism, is increasingly under attack. Are we willing to live the Catholic culture and identity, even in the face of ridicule and persecution?

In the wake of the decree previously mentioned, New York Archbishop Timothy Dolan, Cardinal designate, said “Are you ready to shed your blood? Every Christian disciple should aspire to be brave enough to do so.” (CWN 13/2/2012).