October is one of the most jam-packed months on the liturgical calendar. It includes a rich variety of Saints and causes in the life of the Church: we celebrate the Feast of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux, bless animals on the Feast of Saint Francis of Assisi, honor Our Lady of the Rosary, and culminate the month with the Vigil of All Saints Day. It is a month dedicated to our Lady, to praying the Rosary, and to respect for life.

Respect Life Month has been recognized in the United States for the past fifty-three years. What began as a Sunday dedicated to praying to end abortion in the wake of Roe v. Wade in 1973 has evolved into a month-long celebration of the sanctity of life. This year’s theme focuses on “Mary, Mother of Life,” calling to mind our Lady’s distinguished role as mother of all the living.

Mary, Mother of Life

Mary is called mother of all the living because she represents the “new Eve.” Mary’s fiat in response to the Annunciation offers life where Eve’s cooperation with the devil brought death. Because of the fruit of Mary’s womb (Jesus), those who had no recourse to life everlasting now do. In the person of Jesus we are reminded of our own dignity. The Incarnation points to the reality that we are created in God’s image and likeness (see Genesis 1:27). 

The Universality of Our Human Dignity

In his encyclical Magnifica Humanitas, Pope Leo XIV speaks to this same unifying point:

Human dignity does not depend on a person’s abilities, wealth or position in life, nor on the right or wrong choices made; instead, it is a gift that precedes and transcends each person, endowed by God as an expression of his unfailing love. For this reason, the human person always remains the ‘way for the Church’ and the heart of every authentic path of integral human development. (source)

The original vision of Respect Life Month as one solely protecting the lives of the unborn has rightly expanded to include all who are created in God’s image. This includes but is not limited to our brothers and sisters in detention centers and prisons, those on death row, the elderly, the physically and mentally handicapped, those who are poor, those forced to work in unsafe conditions for unjust wages, and more.

In an effort to build a more comprehensive culture of life, the first step is to recognize God’s reflection in all of our brothers and sisters. 

Supporting a Culture of Life

While we find the impulse to build a culture of life appealing, knowing where to begin can often feel intimidating as we recognize its breadth of application. In reality, there are abundant opportunities to maintain a focus on “willing the good of the other,” as Saint Thomas Aquinas liked to define love (Summa Theologiae I-II, q. 26, a. 4).

In an effort to inspire creativity as we embrace a consistent ethic of life, here are twenty ideas to integrate Respect Life Month all year round:

Twenty Ways to Respect Life This Month and Beyond

1. Volunteer your time and talents with an organization that supports women in crisis pregnancy situations (offering child care, cooking lessons, financial literacy, car repair, resume writing, job searching, or interview skills).
2. Offer to bring foster parents a meal, pass on hand-me-downs, or sponsor an opportunity for a fun outing.
3. Write letters to or visit those who are incarcerated.
4. Speak about others, mindful that they are made in God’s image and likeness.
5. Pray for those in crisis pregnancies and mental health crises.
6. Buy second-hand or purchase products that support workers making a living wage.
7. Support political candidates with a consistent ethic of life. If your candidate does not support the dignity of life from conception to natural death, write or call and make your voice heard.
8. Participate in a blood drive or donate to a breast milk bank.
9. Plan or attend a prayer vigil outside of a detention center.
10. Donate socks, underwear, or sack lunches to a local homeless shelter.
11. Ask the social worker at your neighborhood school what they need to support students whose families cannot provide for their basic needs.
12. Keep granola bars, jerky, or water bottles in your car so that you have something to offer those begging at intersections.
13. Relieve a caregiver for a couple of hours each week or month, allowing them time to rest and recharge as they care for the needs of another.
14. Become a trained crisis line volunteer.
15. Coordinate a group or class visit to a local senior center for games, a pen pal project, an art show, or a talent show.
16. Connect with your local refugee resettlement agency to offer transportation, tutoring, or help setting up housing for families as they transition to their new home.
17. Support fundraising campaigns when couples are facing the expense of adoption.
18. Offer to bring a meal to a family with a child in the NICU or to a family caring for a loved one with special needs.
19. Register to become an organ donor.
20. Bring Holy Communion or groceries to a parishioner who is homebound.

Seeing Christ in One Another

Jesus reminds us that when we care for those who are hungry, thirsty, strangers, sick, or imprisoned, we care for Christ Himself: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

May this Respect Life Month inspire us to recognize the dignity of every person and find new ways to will the good of the other—not only in October, but throughout the year.