Celebrant: Relying on the Spirit who always intercedes for us in
ways beyond our power, let us turn to the Lord with our prayers.
Deacon/Lector:
That baptized Christians everywhere, whatever their vocation in life, may
be committed to transforming the world with the light of the Gospel...
That those who serve in public office may renew their commitment to
protect the God-given rights to which every human being is entitled, we pray
to the Lord...
That we may fulfill our call to be just and kind by building a society
that shows mercy to the criminal, welcome to the stranger, and protection to
the unborn, we pray to the Lord…
That those who sow the weeds of falsehood or discord may be converted by
God's grace to become instruments of truth and unity, we pray to the Lord...
For the poor and oppressed, for the sick and those who care for them, and
for all our friends and loved ones who need our prayers, we pray to the
Lord...
For the members of our parish and our families who have died, we pray to
the Lord...
Celebrant:
Father, Protect us from evil. May we be committed to doing good And
receive the answers to all our prayers. We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Amen.
Bulletin Insert
Pope Benedict on Life
“The causes that lead to such painful decisions as abortion are of course
many and complex. If, on the one hand, faithful to her Lord's commandment,
the Church never tires of reaffirming that the sacred value of every human
being's life originates in the Creator's plan, on the other hand, she
encourages the promotion of every initiative in support of women and
families in order to create the favorable conditions in which to welcome
life, and the protection of the family institution founded on the marriage
between a man and a woman. Not only has permitting recourse to the
termination of pregnancy not solved the problems that afflict many women and
a fair number of families, but it has also made another wound in our
society, unfortunately, already burdened by deep suffering” (Address of Pope
Benedict XVI to Italy’s Pro-life Movement, May 12, 2008).
Homily Suggestions on Pro-life Themes
Wis 12:13, 16-19
Rom 8:26-27
Mt 13:24-43 or 13:24-30
God gives time for repentance. This is a key theme of today’s readings,
and it can be applied to the patience that the People of Life need to have
as they build a Culture of Life with painstakingly slow but steady steps.
Why, some might ask, does God not just stop all the abortions today? He
certainly does not justify a single one of them, nor does he allow us to
justify them. Moreover, he calls us to do the most we can to restore justice
today.
Yet the weeds and wheat grow together; good and evil co-exist. This
generous patience of the Lord by which he allows the sinner room to find
repentance has led to many conversions. The website of the Silent No More
Awareness Campaign, for example, contains numerous testimonies of those who
speak out about their abortion and healing (www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org
). Also, many abortionists have converted and now speak out publicly about
it (see
www.priestsforlife.org/testimonies).
In an election year, it is particularly important to emphasize the theme
of patience. Weeds and wheat grow together – but they do grow. As the
bishops indicate in Living the Gospel of Life, we are called to use
our votes to advance the culture of life. Yet no candidate has a magic wand
to end the culture of death. We do the best we can, we choose the best of
the options, and we work with our elected officials to do the works of
justice and life.
