Culture, it has been said, is its own parent. It is like a feedback loop in that it forms its members who in turn form it. Many remain wholly ignorant of this aspect of culture and simply go with the flow. But even those who consider themselves as “counter-cultural” are not immune to its nascent effects. More specifically we must admit that even those who battle against the culture of death are not immune to it. “Its ubiquitous tentacles,” St. John Paul II once said, “succeeds at times in putting Christian communities themselves to the test” (Evangelium Vitae, 21). The test comes not so much in caving in, although that of course is always a threat, but the test comes is keeping their true Christian mission always in sight.
If the movement to build a culture of life suffers from one defect it is that it tends to define itself as a protest movement. That is, it tends to define it as against the culture of death. The March for Life, as great as it is (and it is great), is really a large protest movement against the injustice of abortion. Supposing Roe v Wade was overturned tomorrow, would such a march still continue? The overturning of Roe v Wade would certainly be a movement towards a more just society but the culture of death would continue. That is because the culture of death cares little about the body count, but instead is designed such that conditions lead to wholesale spiritual death. That an innocent child is sacrificed is really just collateral damage—the real victory comes in the spiritual death of the mother, father and “health-care” providers of the abortion.
The movement for a culture of life is one that is based upon the principles that lead to spiritual life. In other words it must be a Christian culture and that is why JPII saw the culture of death as a threat to Christianity as well. When we make it only about protecting human bodily life and not also about building a culture that actively promotes spiritual well-being then we have only kicked the can down the road. When Christians remember their mission to be leaven and that the goal is not to defeat the enemies of the culture of life, but to convert them then the culture of life will be founded. What would happen if, in addition to the March for Life, we got those same 300,000 people regularly doing penance for the souls trapped in the culture of death? We may pray but that is only half the equation. This kind can only go out with prayer and fasting. Christians, if they are to share in the mission of Christ, must be willing to do penance for the sin of the world as if it was their own. We have forgotten our mission as Christians.
We have forgotten our mission, because we have forgotten who the enemy is. We “battle not against flesh and blood but against the principalities and powers” (Eph. 6:12). That is why I spoke above about the culture of death as if it were personal. It is orchestrated and its conductor is the “father of lies”. The humans are simply his orchestra. But, changing the metaphor to one used by St. Thomas Aquinas in which he says the people are like horses and the demons riders. If you knock the rider off, the horse not only goes free, but joins your cavalry. Every person that works at Planned Parenthood is not the enemy but a potential convert.
Identity politics is a perfect weapon at the hands of the demons because it demonizes other men and women. This is how even Christians are easily duped into fighting the wrong battle. Think of how many times we say “they want to do this, or they think that.” When pressed we realized that we can’t really identify who they are. That is when we know that the true enemy of mankind is at work. As well orchestrated as the culture of death is, how one thing seems to build upon another, we must admit there is an evil non-human genius at work. We should not be surprised for Satan has, from the beginning, been working on his blueprint. His mission has been and remains to build a culture of death (“you will not die”). At certain times in history he has been more successful than others, and certainly our own time is remarkable in that regard, nevertheless he has always been defeated in the same way—the power of the Cross. The battle between the culture of death and the culture of life therefore is not primarily a legislative one but a spiritual one and we must use spiritual weapons to fight it. Only when we remember this will the culture of life prevail. We must remember our mission.