One of the greatest fields of discovery and development at the present time is the field of genetics.

There have been recent reports of findings from DNA research which show that all human beings of whatever racial and/or ethnic background are interrelated and that modern humans originated in Africa some 50,000 years ago.

The research also indicates that all human beings are 99.9 percent alike as far as genes and DNA are concerned. What this means is that all our differences amount to only about 1/10 of 1 percent of our genetic makeup.

Why is it then that we humans emphasize these differences so much while failing to take into account the fact that we have so much in common with one another? Perhaps it comes from our need to express identity. Apparently there is a deeply ingrained need to highlight what differentiates us from other human beings, what sets us apart. This is true in all our human relationships and even within our families.

We tend to classify ourselves by race, by ethnic background, by occupation, by religion, by city or state, even by neighborhood. There are tribal loyalties, regional differences, favorite teams and numerous other measures that differentiate "us" from "them."

That in itself is not bad. It creates a richness in diversity which can add to the beauty, interest and adventure of life.

Wouldn’t life be dull and boring if we were all identical copies of one another! There wouldn’t be much to spark our curiosity, interest or creativity.

Literature would be bland. Love would be a passionless emotion. No, our differences are what give spice and pizzazz to our lives.

Yet, those same differences which give a sparkling character to our lives also set us apart from one another and indeed, so often set us against one another.

If we look at the whole of recorded human history, (it must have been the same in pre-historic times because human nature hasn’t changed,) we see that most often our differences have led us to perform violent acts against one another, whether on a massive scale such as in war or on a smaller scale such as in domestic abuse. Our differences have led us to enslave one another, to demonize one another, to objectify and to hate one another.

All the great religions of the world have sought to emphasize our unity, our brotherhood, our sisterhood. And yet, these same religions have often been used and manipulated to oppress, harm and even destroy persons of other faiths and no faith at all.

We humans have a hard time achieving balance in our lives, tending at times to go to extremes. Instead we need to emphasize both our unity and our diversity, our uniqueness and all that we share in common with all other human beings.

Actually these new scientific findings support many of the ancient teachings that have been handed down to us. All human beings have common origins and are inter-

related. We have vastly far more in common with one another than the mere 1/10 of 1 percent of our genes which constitute the differences which we are so fond of highlighting.

The light of faith transcends these natural factors and opens a vast area of knowledge which would be unknown to us without the assistance of divine revelation.

We are all created by God in his image and only a little lower than the angels in natural dignity. Children of an original primordial couple, we are all brothers and sisters. We are all called by God to be his children, members of his family and heirs to eternal life.

Some day, hopefully, these truths will become more than words and will have a lasting impact on the behavior of individuals, various groupings and nations as well as we try to live together in peace, mutual respect and justice. This is the spirit we profess during Christmastide. The challenge is trying to do it on a regular basis. Here and now we can only try to do our best with God’s help. One day we shall succeed. We have God’s word for it.

Recently, I ran into a young lady at a family gathering who introduced me to her son, a darling of a boy, instantly likeable, the kind of child any parents would be proud of. Later I was a bit surprised to learn that the boy was the product of in-vitro fertilization, what we used to call a "test tube baby."

Such conceptions have become more and more frequent as time goes by.

I can understand the dilemma and frustration of parents who badly want a child and are not able to conceive on their own. This scientific procedure seems a godsend to them. How can it be wrong, they ask themselves, when it produces such a beautiful child? At such times the church can seem cold and heartless when it bans such procedures as evil.

Certainly, after the fact, we can encourage such parents to love and enjoy their children and give them every advantage possible. The children have done nothing wrong. They are God’s children and deserve to be treated as such.

Before the fact, however, I would have to advise and counsel such parents to avoid in-vitro fertilization and seek to adopt instead. There are many children who would profit from the loving care of adoptive parents.

The in-vitro technique is wrong for several reasons, one of the most important being the fact that for every embryo selected to be brought to term, there are a number of others that are simply destroyed.

Now if you believe as I do, and as the chu0rch clearly teaches, that human life begins at conception, then it is patently immoral to destroy several of these little human entities in order to obtain one that can be brought to term. Another reason is that it is gravely offensive to human dignity to forego the human process of conception, ordained by the Creator, and substitute for it an artificial process in which conception takes place in a dish.

We live in an age when new scientific findings and processes are being made available at a quickening pace. Some are clearly a boon to humanity. Yet all must be looked at carefully from the point of view of ethical principles which have stood the test of time. For people of faith, moreover they also need to be looked at carefully in the light of faith.

The end does not justify the means. Not all that is possible is right, good and just.