United States Catholic Catechism for Adults

Chapter 29. Fifth Commandment: Promote the Culture of Life • 401

right-to-die movement, seeks to legalize what is an immoral act. Suicide is wrong whether committed alone or aided by a doctor. • The human embryo from the moment of conception has the entire genetic makeup of a unique human life. The growing child must be treated as completely and fully human. He or she needs only time to grow and develop. Killing the embryo is killing human life, an act contrary to God’s law and Church teaching. • “Today, in fact, as a consequence of the possibilities which the state has for effectively preventing crime by rendering the one who has committed the offense incapable of doing harm . . . the cases in which the execution of the offender is an absolute necessity ‘are very rare, if not practically non-existent’” (CCC, no. 2267, citing EV, no. 56). • While every possible means must be taken to avoid war, there are times when legitimate defense of one’s homeland by military force may be taken under the strictest conditions. • In addition to the respect for bodily life, there must also be reverence for the souls of others. One must always avoid scandal, which is a grave offense when, by deed or omission, one leads another to sin gravely (cf. CCC, nos. 2284-2287). • The Fifth Commandment also forbids other sins: bigotry and hatred, physical or emotional abuse, violence of any kind against another person, inattention to one’s health, or the abuse of alcohol or drugs (cf. CCC, nos. 2288-2291). MEDITATION Christ’s blood reveals to man that his greatness, and therefore his vocation, consists in the sincere gift of self. Precisely because it is poured out as the gift of life, the blood of Christ is no lon ger a sign of death, of definitive separation from the brethren, but the instrument of a communion which is richness of life for all. Whoever in the Sacrament of the Eucharist drinks this blood and abides in Jesus (cf. Jn 6:56) is drawn into the dyna mism of his love and gift of life, in order to bring to its fullness