Sanctify Them in Truth

How the Church's Social Doctrine Addresses the Issues of Our Time

Jeffrey Kirby S.T.L.

• Publisher: TAN Books
• Year: 2022
• eBook ISBN: 9781505121155
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Religion

We live in a world that has become secularized, marked by ideology and partisanship. In such a world, how are we supposed to know what is right and wrong? As Christians, how are we supposed to approach the social issues of our day? With conflicting voices surrounding us, how can we hear and know the voice of Jesus Christ and receive His teachings?

As Christians, we seek to live the way of the Lord Jesus, but that's easier said than done. We want to demonstrate the Lord's love and kindness to all men and women, but we're faced with issues that cause us to discern what that looks like and how it's virtuously expressed. We want to do what is right and good, but trying to determine right and wrong can at times be confusing and unsettling.

The teaching authority of the Church is here to help. Appointed by Jesus Christ, our shepherds discern, interpret, and apply His teachings to our everyday lives.

Sanctify Them in Truth, by Fr. Jeffrey Kirby, is an approachable, easy-to-read guide on eight of our most pressing social issues. The book applies divine wisdom and the guidance of the Church as it dissects oft-debated topics, presenting helpful teaching so that the reader knows how to navigate today's contentious world with conviction and a clear conscience.

The book answers:

• Why is abortion above all other social issues in importance? Can immigration be both moral and limited?
• What is the Christian responsibility to the environment?
• How are we called to approach the LGBTQ+ movement?
• Is healthcare a human right?
• When can artificial nutrition and hydration be suspended for a dying relative?
• Is the Critical Race Theory within the bounds of justice?
• Why can't women be ordained priests?

In all these matters, the truth of Christ is the foundation for any response. Fr. Kirby's pastoral guidance helps to build that foundation in our intellects and in our wills, so that we can serve as a beacon for truth in a world that despises it.

CHAPTER 1

Abortion and Preeminence

“When Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.”

—Luke 1:41

Building a Foundation

Before we present the issue of abortion, it’s critical that we have a sense of virtue and some guiding principles from the Church’s social doctrine.

VIRTUE: FORTITUDE
(SEE CCC 1808)

Fortitude is a high moral virtue. It strengthens the human will and empowers it to face difficulties and struggles with resolution and purpose. Fortitude gives rectitude to a person. It resists temptations that threaten truth, beauty, or goodness. Fortitude enables a person to overcome fear, human respect, and vainglory. It allows a person to accept trials and persecutions, and even death, for the sake of what is right and true.

PRINCIPLE: PREEMINENCE
(SEE CCC 90, 2270, 2273)

Preeminence is the term used to describe the highest of truths within the hierarchy of moral truths. It distinguishes an intrinsically evil act from a prudential one while also acknowledging an order among intrinsic issues. As such, the term is used exclusively for the horror of abortion, emphasizing the issue’s priority over all other related life or social issues. Abortion is preeminent among all life and social issues since it directly attacks life in its initial and most vulnerable state.

A SECOND PRINCIPLE: NATURAL RIGHTS
(SEE CCC 1928–48)

Natural rights are given by God and imbedded into human nature. They precede society and government. They are not given by any human authority. A person does not even give natural rights to himself and, therefore, cannot take them from himself. Natural rights are universal and held by every human person. Such rights must be respected by society’s laws, public policies, and popular customs. Laws that violate or deny natural rights are unjust laws. Governments that offend or reject natural rights undermine their own moral legitimacy to govern.

Taking Our Stand

Since we have the assistance of virtue and principles from the Church’s social doctrine, we are now ready to dive into the question of abortion and preeminence.

“I THOUGHT I UNDERSTOOD …”

Some time ago, a young couple reached out to me about baptizing their child. We set up the appointment, and things seemed to be in place. When they arrived, there was no baby. I was a little surprised, but sometimes parents keep the little one with loved ones when they come to such appointments.

When I inquired about it, they said, “Oh, the baby hasn’t been born yet.” Of course, you would have thought I had noticed that fact, but I have learned not to notice or comment on the physique of women. And so, I gently asked them, “Are you expecting a difficult pregnancy?” They were shocked: “Father, no, everything is going very smoothly.” I was more than confused at this point and asked, “Okay, then help me understand: why are we scheduling the baby’s baptism before the child is born?”

From the pocket of his slacks, the father took out an ultra-sound picture of the preborn child. It was then clear to me that this was their first child, since things like this happen with the first one. He was very excited about the future birth of his child. He wanted to schedule everything as if this was the first baby in human history. And for him, it was. This was his child. Their child.

As he showed me the ultrasound picture, he was moved by the image. “I thought I understood that life was precious and that it started in the womb, but now I truly realize what that all means. Look at this picture! This is my son!” The conversation continued with the usual jubilation over the anticipation of a child.

This account can help us all to truly realize—and not simply “know”—the innocence and dignity, the beauty and the invaluable nature of life, particularly life in the womb, at its genesis. This sensitivity and awareness is essential as we move forward and discuss abortion and the principle of preeminence.

“If you want equal justice for all, and true freedom and lasting peace, then, America, defend life! All the great causes that are yours today will have meaning only to the extent that you guarantee the right to life and protest the human person.”

—Pope Saint John Paul II, Airport Address, Denver, CO, World Youth Day 1993

THE EVIL OF ABORTION

Embryology is clear, as is all of its related medical sciences, that life begins at conception. There is no question about this statement when it comes to the empirical sciences. This is a fact. Since life begins at conception, the smallest of human beings share in the rights and privileges of every other human person. This is good logic, sound legal theory, and an affirmation of universal human rights.

As such, abortion is a direct attack on life, its dignity, and on the normative standards of what it means to be a part of a civilized society. Abortion is an assault on life in its earliest, most vulnerable, and defenseless state. It is a barbaric act devoid of any moral or human sense. Abortion, therefore, is intrinsically evil, which means it is absolutely evil. It is never permitted or justified under any situation. No intention or circumstance, no prudential judgment, can ever make it morally acceptable.

Abortion is particularly egregious since the accomplice who is empowering the aggressor is the mother (and in many cases also the father) of the child. Still more, you have a medical doctor under an oath to “do no harm.” These two positions—the parents and the doctor—are some of the most sacrosanct vocations in human society, and yet—in the horrendous act of abortion—they conspire to destroy an innocent preborn child.

Plainly put, from the perspective of the medical sciences, human dignity, and the highest of human vocations, abortion is clearly and abhorrently evil. How is it possible, then, that so many reasonable and educated people can accept this atrocity? How can so many people be so complacent in the face of such evil?

“Any country that accepts abortion, is not teaching its people to love, but to use any violence to get what it wants.”

—Saint Teresa of Calcutta

RADICAL AUTONOMY AND AN ABSOLUTIZED FREEDOM

In a normal and just society, the evil of abortion would readily be seen, called out, and denounced. The exception, however, is that other voices and influences have usurped the public narrative. In particular, the predominant notions of radical autonomy and absolutized freedom lend themselves to an arena where preborn life is relativized and minimalized. Therefore, we must unmask these two cultural presumptions.

First, let’s address radical autonomy. This is an inflation of human autonomy, which is a good thing when properly understood and lived well.

Autonomy is our self-will. In philosophical terms, autonomy is our self-possession. It is the power we have over ourselves. It empowers us to act and to pursue a good way of life. Properly understood, autonomy is contingent upon others. It is about a tempered independence. It interacts within a vast network of interpersonal relationships, which includes God, spouse and family, colleagues, and community interactions. Autonomy has rights because it has responsibilities. Autonomy consists of duties as much as it consists of personal powers and privileges.

When autonomy is radicalized, it ignores its duties, denies its dependency on anything or anyone, and distances itself from God, family, and other relationships. In this state, autonomy pretends to be a “sovereign self.” It becomes narcissistic, self-centered, and aggressive in defense of its imagined independence. Such a wayward notion of autonomy is reflected in such chants as “My body, my choice!”

A false notion of autonomy depends on an absolutized freedom. The two always accompany each other. An absolutized freedom is reflected in such statements as “It’s a woman’s right to have an abortion.” Such an extreme view sees freedom as the only good. It eclipses every other aspect of reality, whether it’s in the realm of science, human dignity, or human rights. When this subjugation happens, freedom ceases to be true freedom and instead becomes licentiousness, a moral theory in which we are governed by our own personal whims and wishes. Such a fallen freedom justifies anything that a person wants to do, including the taking of life.

Properly understood, freedom is not the power to do whatever we want. Freedom is the power to do what is right and good. And, similar to autonomy, freedom only has rights because it has responsibilities. Freedom serves life, human dignity, and the common good. If freedom betrays these goods, then it ceases to be freedom. Instead, it becomes a disguised self-totalitarianism.

These deviant notions of autonomy and freedom create a culture in which abortion seems justifiable. Such a culture even argues that abortion is “morally obligatory” in any case in which a woman’s radical autonomy or absolutized freedom are threatened. This state of affairs shows the deadly consequences of these views when they’re applied to life, especially that of the most vulnerable and weak.

Once unmasked and properly understood, autonomy and freedom are the first two witnesses to the beauty and dignity of every human life and of the utter abhorrence of abortion. It is for this reason that dark forces wish to manipulate and redefine these realities.

What is our understanding of our autonomy? Do we live as if we are a sovereign self, or do we accept and actively live within a vast network of relationships? Do we understand the duties and responsibilities that come with our freedom?

“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.”

—Saint Teresa of Calcutta

MORAL TRUTH AND PREEMINENCE

Within the moral teachings of the Church, there is a certain ordering, or hierarchy, of truths. Such an order does not mean that one issue is more true or less true than any other but rather that the absoluteness of one is greater than the others in terms of how it is lived and applied to our lives and to society. For example, as we will see in future chapters, there is a lot of room given for prudential judgments on immigration or care of the environment, whereas such room for discernment is not present when it comes to abortion.

This difference between moral issues exists for three primary reasons: the clarity of the issue, its grave effects to moral goodness, and the possi...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Halftitle Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication
• Contents
• Introduction
• Chapter 1: Abortion and Preeminence
• Chapter 2: Immigration and Prudence
• Chapter 3: The Environment and Stewardship
• Chapter 4: The LGBTQ+ Movement and Complementarity
• Chapter 5: Universal Healthcare and Subsidiarity
• Chapter 6: Artificial Nutrition/Hydration and Mercy
• Chapter 7: Critical Race Theory and Justice
• Chapter 8: The Male Priesthood and Gender Equality
• Conclusion
• Bibliography
• About the Author