The Holy Father's prayer challenges Catholics to defend the dignity of every human life
Pope Leo’s prayer: ‘For Respect for Human Life’
Friday, August 7, 2026
*Tony Magliano
Recently, Pope Leo wrote a beautiful and compelling prayer titled "For Respect for Human Life." I think it would do us well to reflect deeply on it in the hope that it will inspire you and me to faithfully pray, learn, teach, serve and advocate for respect for human life all year long, every year.
The Holy Father begins his prayer: "Lord of life, you created us in love and called us to live in fullness. Each person is a sacred gift that reflects your face, from the first instant of existence to the final breath of their journey on earth" (see:https://bit.ly/4fOOsg7).
Imagine if each one of us, every country, every corporation, every religion — including every Catholic — truly looked upon every person, "from the first instant of existence to the final breath of their journey on earth," as a sacred gift that reflects the face of God. What a beautiful world it would be!
Nurturing such a loving vision of every human being would naturally inspire us to end the death penalty, abortion, poverty, starvation, hunger, homelessness, human trafficking, slave labor, unsafe and underpaid employment, euthanasia, and the warehousing of the elderly in often unappealing nursing homes.
Such a beautiful vision would also compel us to ensure clean water and sanitation, quality education, health care for all, and decent housing for every person, as well as to build welcoming bridges — instead of mean-spirited walls — for poor and persecuted migrants and refugees.
Like Pope Leo, seeing each person as a sacred gift that reflects the face of God would also inspire us to treasure and protect our common home from pollution and human-induced global warming for the well-being of all people, as well as of future generations.
Seeing in every person a reflection of the face of God would also naturally compel us to finally outlaw war and preparation for war, fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy: "They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again."
In his July prayer, "For Respect for Human Life," Pope Leo concludes by inviting all of us to join him in praying:
Forgive us, Lord,
when we fall into indifference or the culture of discard,
when we fail to see in others a being worthy of love.
Give us a new heart, always ready to choose life,
and generous hands that protect it through concrete actions.
Make your Church a living witness of the Gospel of life,
an open home where every life is celebrated,
where no one feels unwanted,
and where dignity is always honored and protected.Lord Jesus,
may we love life as You love it:
with tenderness, fidelity and self-giving.
May we proclaim, in words and actions,
that every human life is worth the total gift of ourselves. Amen.
