Life is the most precious gift - a ramble caused by grief.

How precious is life?  If it were not the most precious thing then the Redeemer's sacrifice would not have been so important.  This is why destroying life is so wrong, no matter how you destroy it.  The funny thing is that this is the same reason why being a martyr is such a great thing.  We can give our life away as a great gift but we can't destroy it as if it means nothing.

It is so hard then when someone we love dies.  It is their life that is gone and not them.  They still are and we hope to see them again when we die.  We will see them forever and they won't be in pain, but still death causes grief.  Why is that?  Is it the loss of what they could have become if they were still alive?  Is it only their company we miss?  Is it really just that we miss them?  If no one misses someone who dies is their life somehow less precious?  I don't know other than to say life is so precious that everyone's life is precious.  

With life we have the hope of repentance.  I often think this is why the death penalty is so wrong.  I often wonder why atheists don't value life more than those who have a hope of the afterlife.  If you believe that this all there is shouldn't life have the highest value?  This maybe why we grieve when someone dies to some extent.  We know that they are either destined for heaven or hell at that point.  When a great saint dies we often feel that they have gone to their reward and that helps us in our grief.  

Life is so precious in fact that even the partial death of causing pain and suffering is wrong.  Driving someone to despair is like causing a partial death, and not helping someone in need is like not helping someone who is hurt.  ProLife has to mean more than being antiabortion or it is not ProLife.  If ProLife means shaming pregnant women or blowing up doctors are we any better than those who kill innocent children?  We might actually be worse because we should know better.  ProLife means a life of love.  Love all,even or especially our enemies.  I heard it once said that an enemy is simply someone you need to pray for.