Communicating a Culture of Life: A Proactive, Personal Approach
by Mary Cunningham Agee, Lay Witness, July/August 1998

We have been "called by name" at a pivotal moment in history to find the most effective ways to build a culture of life. Pope John Paul II has emphasized the singular- importance of this challenge. The fact that he refers to a "culture of life" almost interchangeably with a "civilization of love" should point us in the direction of the reality he seeks to convey. Since both "life" and "love'' find their fullest meaning and most essential expression in the Person and teachings of Jesus Christ, this phrase prompts us to evaluate all of the institutions and influences that shape our culture against the ultimate standard of Our Lord's example and ministry.

We need only to consider the ever-widening circles of humanity being subjected to the cruelest and most degrading forms of abuse and injustice in order to appreciate the significance of the task at hand. Why have we fallen so far short of forming a "culture of life?" Why would anyone tolerate the miserable, wretched conditions that constitute a culture of death over those that protect, defend, and nurture life?

The temptation is to reply with a long list of villains, including corrupt politicians, greedy lawyers, tawdry entertainers, politically correct clergy, the prejudiced media, liberal educators, and selfish parents. But such an analysis is flawed in at least two ways. First, it oversimplifies the scope and nature of the problem; and second, it places the responsibility for its solution in the hands of those over whom we have little or no control.

I believe that it is time to place the emphasis squarely on the shoulders of the one person over whom we have complete responsibility and control. We must be willing to turn the laser beam of scrutiny around and fix our gaze on our own hearts, where our own deepest attitudes are formed. This is where, as the Greeks would say, a genuine "metanoia" or profound change can take place. I believe that it is also where renewal is most needed if we are to be empowered to communicate and help to build a culture of life.

We must learn to ask, When did I neglect to "love my neighbor as myself" by turning a deaf ear to the cries of the oppressed, the lonely, the confused? When did I refuse to forgive, much less "love my enemy," preferring to hold on to grudges and nurse old wounds? When did I take delight in examining someone else's conscience for them--as opposed to spending time on my own?

It is against this backdrop that I would like to share two practical suggestions that I believe will help us build a culture of life. First, say less and do more; and second, focus whatever you say and do on the service of one life at a time.

The reason that I have highlighted these seemingly simple suggestions is because I have found that they not only work, but also reflect the deepest attitudes of the Savior who was sent to redeem us, the One whom we must imitate if we are to have eternal life. Courage and compassion, a practical passion for justice, and a tender love for mercy -- these are the dynamic blend and balance played out in the ministry and the Person of Jesus Christ.

Say less and do more. I have found that our message that "all life is infinitely precious" is far more likely to be well received when our words are supported by consistent, Christ-like action. Words have become cheap and unreliable in today's information age.

We have learned the hard way to heed the implicit warning in Our Lord's advice when He says, "You shall know the tree by its fruits" (Mt. 12:33). He did not say, "by how it is described" or, as we might be more apt to suggest today, ''by how it is marketed and advertised."

We are starved for action, the kind that Our Lord insisted upon from all of His followers. "Feed my lambs," He instructed Peter (Jn. 21:15). "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." He taught the faithful (Mt. 7: 12). "Feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, care for the ill, and visit those imprisoned," He consistently urged His disciples (cf. Mt. 25:35-40).

One Life at a Time

Let's consider my second suggestion: Work to defend and nurture life serving "one life at a time." Whenever we become too theoretical, "macro,'' or global in our approach to solving any human issue, we almost inevitably tend to become more political and less personal. In all of the "pro-life" vs. ''pro-choice" discussions that I have witnessed and participated in over the years, I have seen little evidence of any change of opinion or conversion of hearts due to even the most brilliant intellectual appeals. No matter how articulate, morally correct, or obviously sincere many such pronouncements have been, they have failed to penetrate the hearts and minds of those most in need of the truth.

We need only to turn again to the example of the greatest Communicator, Teacher, and Healer of all time to see where we may have gone wrong. Not only did Our Lord express His love through concrete, tangible actions, but He showed a clear preference for delivering His message to one uniquely blessed soul at a time. He cured the leper, forgave the sinner, consoled the widow, raised the dead to life, made the lame to walk and the blind to see. He refused to keep a safe distance from His subject. His miraculous gifts were not designed to be handed out to the masses through an impersonal speech or grandiose gesture. Instead, with very few exceptions, He would reach out and touch one broken, hurting person, healing his or her wounds individually -- one life at a time.

The Nurturing Network

It was this clear awareness that caused my professional life to take a sharp detour about 15 years ago from the comfort of an executive suite to the more modest office of a founder and managing director of an international charity. While it took the personal anguish of a mid-trimester miscarriage for me to fully grasp the horror of prenatal death, it has taken the daily, lifesaving activity of the Nurturing Network to teach me the value of translating my reverence for all human life into concrete action.

I cannot recount for you all that this apostolate has come to mean to me, but when I call to mind and heart the almost 12,000 innocent children whose physical lives have been saved and the equal number of mothers whose spiritual lives have been nourished, I cannot imagine a more enduring or more meaningful way to "build a culture of life."

It seems almost unimaginable that what began as a modest, grassroots attempt to marshal the talent and moral conviction of a few caring friends has blossomed over the years into a powerful, international network of 22,000 dedicated volunteers. But I believe that the secret of this success rests in the simple but profound fact that the objective of the network's ministry is not a political one, but a most practical one: to ensure that every woman knows that the resources she needs in order to continue her pregnancy are readily available without cost by calling our toll-free number.

Each day we witness the small miracle of our 800 number gradually becoming one of the nation's most effective lifelines, linking literally thousands of mothers to the tailor-made support they urgently need, both through our network of individual members and through the thousands of local crisis pregnancy centers who are actively involved in our network. Volunteers put their values into action on behalf of the mothers who call upon us in their hour of greatest need.

It is not enough to say that we are "for life" unless we are willing to provide the practical means to support it.

The binding of deep wounds and the healing of broken hearts is an intensely intimate and essentially practical experience. The simple but profound truth is that there is no substitute for the one-on-one conversations that translate into the most life-saving message of all: "You are a beloved child of God. No matter what mistake you may have made or sin you may have committed, you are infinitely valuable and precious in God's sight."

These are the healing words that communicate the Gospel of Life. They ring true and find their way home in every human heart. And when enough voices proclaim this truth with genuine compassion and unwavering courage, Christ's love will become the leaven in the bread of new life that will, indeed, "renew the face of the earth."

Mary Cunningham Agee is the founder and executive director of The Nurturing Network. The foregoing was excerpted from a speech delivered at the Pontifical Athenaeum of the Holy Cross in Rome.

Reprinted with permission from Lay Witness

All contents © 1998, The Nurturing Network
Last updated Tuesday, August 08, 2006