CHARLOTTE — Catholic Charities Diocese of Charlotte’s Respect Life Program announces the winner of its annual Respect Life Essay Contest is Lewis Nazarian, an 11th-grader at Charlotte Catholic High School.
The essay prompt given to high school students from around the diocese was: “How in today’s society are we best able to say ‘Yes’ to life and ‘No’ to death?”
Jessica Grabowski, Catholic Charities Respect Life Program Director, was able to present the award to Nazarian after Mass at Charlotte Catholic High School last week.
“Thank you to Principal Kurt Telford, Father Jason Barone and all the staff at Charlotte Catholic High School for supporting this event and planning the special award presentation,” Grabowski said. “In addition, a special thank you to Saint Benedict Press/Tan Books for sponsoring gifts for the finalists this year.”
Look for more information later this summer for next year’s Respect Life Essay Contest and visit www.cccdoc.org/respectlife for news and announcements from Catholic Charities’ Respect Life Program.
Say Yes
Being pro-life is more than just a label. It is more than just going to the occasional pro-life conference. It is more than just attending a march. Being pro-life is about living pro-life. But what exactly does living pro-life entail? I can tell you for certain it is not throwing a Twitter post online proclaiming that you love babies. It is not walking around school proclaiming that “I am pro-life and a good Christian because I am attending the March for Life.” No, living pro-life cannot be achieved with just words. St. Francis of Assisi has been quoted telling us to “Preach the Gospel at all times. When necessary, use words.” While the validity of this quotation’s attribution is debated, the message holds true. In order to truly evangelize, you must act instead of just speak.
A friend of mine did something that truly exemplifies this evangelization in modern society. On a Saturday, she went out to a Planned Parenthood, put in her earbuds, and sang and danced in front of the abortion clinic. Not once did she speak to or even make eye contact with the people walking in and out. But, in her innocent act of dancing and singing, she reminded these pregnant women of what life truly is. She told me that throughout the day, of the 20 to 30 people who walked up the path, around 10 of them turned around. Because of her seemingly small act of evangelization, 10 lives were saved that day.
My friend Mariah helped me to realize that in today’s society, you need to get your face out of your phone in order to say yes to life. You need to get out into the world, showing people that your life is worth living.
Those who believe that abortion, the death penalty, and euthanasia are acceptable are not likely to listen to you in a verbal argument or debate. Instead, to say no to death and to help them say no, show your love for life and show the importance of life throughout your day. Be a caring person and go out and show your love for your classmates, coworkers and strangers on the street. Say thank you to anyone and everyone who helps you in any way. Show your respect for their work and their life. If you want to say yes to life and no to death, don’t just say it, show it.