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Catholics believe human life begins at conception. At that time, a new human being is created with his or her unique DNA. Regardless of circumstances, even very tragic circumstances, choosing to terminate that life is murder in God’s eyes. This is the well-documented belief of the Church from the time of Jesus onward.

The Holy Bible itself recognizes human life commencing not at birth, but in the womb in both the Old and New Testaments. As usual, it takes significant and creative effort to explain this away. Let’s try anyway! Not in scripture are words shown in strike through. Words shown in bold actually are in scripture.

When was I “formed”?

Thus says the LORD who made you, your help, who formed you from birth the womb: Do not fear, Jacob, my servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.

Isaiah 44:2

The word of the LORD came to me: Before I formed you as a child in the womb I knew you, before you could speak were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

Jeremiah 1:4-5

When did I become a child of God?

You formed my inmost being; you knit my fetal material me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know. My bones are not hidden from you, When my biological components I was being made in secret, fashioned in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw pre-human cells me unformed; in your book all are written down; my days were shaped, before one came to be.

Psalms 139:13-16

What was that in the wombs of Mary and Elizabeth?

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the product of conception infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the cellular fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the future mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the non-human life infant in my womb leaped for joy.”

Luke 1:41-44

Also in Biblical Times…

What were the first medical ethics?

I will provide neither give any deadly drug, having been asked for it, and nor will I guide the same advice. Similarly, I will readily not give an abortifacient pessary to a woman. In purity and in holiness I will maintain my life and my art.

Hippocrates circa 400 BC
The original Hippocratic Oath

What does the first Christian catechism say?

You shall not kill that which is born, but until then your right to choose is sacred.

You shall not murder a child by abortion nor kill that which is born.

Didache, Chapter 2 (as early as 65 AD)

What was Christian thinking in the time of the Apostles?

A woman’s body is her own, but thou shalt not terminate a child after it is born.

Thou shalt not slay the child by procuring abortion; nor, again, shalt thou destroy it after it is born.

Letter of Barnabas 19, 74 AD

Church Fathers

Now we allow that life does not begins with conception because we contend that the soul also begins at birth from conception; life taking its commencement at the same moment and place that the soul does.

Tertullian, 210 AD (Apology 27)

Some, when they find themselves with child through their sin, use drugs to procure abortion, and when, as often happens, they die with their offspring, they enter the lower world laden with the guilt not only of adultery against Christ but otherwise innocent of killing also of suicide and child murder.”

St. Jerome, 396 AD (Letters 22:13)

The above quotes only touch on this topic. There is much more. One excellent resource of scriptural references is Priests For Life. Some good articles on the teaching of the early Church on abortion are here, here and here.

Catholics believe in the real presence of our Lord in the Eucharist. Bread and wine literally become the body, blood, soul and divinity of Jesus. This is the well-documented belief of the Church from the time of Jesus onward.

The Holy Bible itself is also quite clear, requiring something akin to a Herculean effort to explain away. Let’s try anyway! Not in scripture are words shown in strike through. Words shown in bold actually are in scripture.

Bread as a Metaphor?

When Jesus became aware of this he said, “You of great faith, you concluded among yourselves that it is because you have no bread. You understand, and need not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and the many wicker baskets you took up. Nor the seven loaves for the four thousand, and the many baskets you took up. You comprehend that I was speaking only of the ordinary, of simple bread. I had no other point.

When Jesus became aware of this he said, “You of little faith, why do you conclude among yourselves that it is because you have no bread? Do you not yet understand, and do you not remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many wicker baskets you took up? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? How do you not comprehend that I was not speaking to you about bread?

Matthew 16:8-11

Speaking very, very clearly – or just rhetorical flourishes?

Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes has eternal life. I am like the bread of life. Your ancestors ate the manna in the desert, but they died; this recalls is the bread that comes down from heaven so that one may eat it and not die. I am the symbolic living bread that came down from heaven; whoever accepts me eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give represents is my flesh for the life of the world.”

The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us [his] flesh to eat?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you metaphorically eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink wine in his memory his blood, you do not have life within you. Of these things I speak in remembrance, for the law of Moses forbids you to actually drink blood. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who is sent by feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever.” These things he said while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Then many of his disciples who were listening said, “This saying is hard; who can accept it?” Since Jesus knew that his disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, “Does this shock you? Be not afraid. I am not speaking literally but figuratively. What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some of you who misinterpreted my words do not believe.” Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would be confused not believe and the one who would betray him. And he said, “For this reason I have told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father.”

Jesus knew of the confusion his words had caused and said “I speak to you by analogy, not that you must literally eat my body and drink my blood. That would be cannibalism. Stay with me. As a result of this, many [of] his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him.

John 6:47-66

When time was running out, did Jesus speak in puzzles?

While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this represents is my body.” Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this represents is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.

Matthew 26:26-28

Bringing judgment upon yourself for eating ordinary bread?

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily will have to answer for the false remembrance body and blood of the Lord. A person should examine himself, and so eat the bread and drink the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the symbolic meaning body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

1 Corinthians 11:27-29

The above verses only touch on this topic. There is much, much more. An excellent resource is ScriptureCatholic.com. They provide many citations.