Three days this month strike me as interrelated. March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day. It is a day to give thanks to God for the gift of Down syndrome children and adults and the joy and blessings they bring into so many lives. It is a day to thank God for the parents of Down syndrome children who often make sacrifices in raising such blessings. It is a day to mourn those Down syndrome babies who never make it out of the womb alive because of abortion. Some studies suggest that as many as 90% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted each year. A law passed last year in Belgium allows parents to euthanize newborns and infants who have Down syndrome or other “conditions” that would cause “suffering for the parents.”
The Annunciation of our Lord occurs on March 25. Luke 1:26-38 tells of this miraculous event of our Lord’s incarnation as a speck in Mary’s fallopian tube. It is important to remember that the Word did not become flesh in a manger, but in a womb. God taking up residence in a womb most certainly declares His love for all who reside there. God taking up residence in a womb gives value to all who reside there. That value does not depend upon our “condition” in the womb, for we all have the condition of sin from the moment of conception. The value comes from the fact that God took our place there, the first step in paying the price for the redemption of ALL human life.
That leads to the third date, March 29, Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, where we see the final steps in the price of redemption. We follow Jesus from the shouts of “Hosanna” to the shouts of “Crucify.” We see Him go from being the King on a donkey to the Suffering Servant on a cross. And we also see Him go from being dead and buried to resurrected and very much alive! Once again, He did this for ALL human life! Forgiveness is purchased! Eternal life secured! He wants everyone to come to the knowledge of this truth (1 Timothy 2:4).
Human value, then, does not come from the absence of some “condition.” It comes from the presence of God’s “uncondition,” His unconditional love in Jesus. Human value does not depend upon what we are able to do or not do, but upon what God has done and does for us and through us.
I love the picture of a very proud and smiling Down syndrome child sporting a T-shirt that reads, “Relax! It’s Only an Extra Chromosome!” Yes, it’s only an extra chromosome, and it has nothing to do with value or worth, meaning or purpose. All these come from God as He works in our lives according to His perfect will. As I like to say, God not only blesses, He decides what blessings are! Every time I meet a child, ANY child, I meet a blessing!
Three dates: March 21—a date to thank God for people with Down syndrome. March 25—at date to thank God for sanctifying the womb and ALL who reside there. March 29—a date to thank God for paying the price for our redemption and the value it places on human life.