Celebrant: Let us pray to our Father in heaven for ourselves and
the needs of the whole world.
Deacon/Lector:
That the Church may continue to be a beacon of light and truth in the
world, we pray to the Lord…
For all Church leaders, that they preach and teach the truth of the
Gospel with courage and conviction, we pray to the Lord…
For all who have had abortions, that St. Paul's message that nothing can
separate us from Christ's love will give them strength to seek
reconciliation in the Church, we pray to the Lord…
That the Lord may bless the world with his peace and the protection of
his love, we pray to the Lord…
That the Lord may heal the sick, comfort the oppressed, and protect us
from all natural disasters, we pray to the Lord…
That the Lord will welcome into his heavenly kingdom those who have died,
we pray to the Lord…
Celebrant:
Father, we come before you in faith and love. Hear the prayers we offer,
And grant us all we need To serve you faithfully in the name of Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
Bulletin Insert
A Post-Abortion Testimony
Following is an excerpt from one of the many post-abortion testimonies
that can be found at www.priestsforlife.org/testimonies:
“I decided to abort my third child. …No thought was given whatsoever to
the humanity of the unborn child. … It seemed to me that no one ever
suggested that a fetus was anything other than a blob of tissue awaiting
some indefinable time at which to become human. Now that I think back on it,
it seems as though we had some kind of power to confer humanity. …God’s Word
… eventually convinced me of the fact that an unborn child is just that, an
unborn child, and not a blob of tissue. … God’s love and forgiveness have
healed the wound, but I will always carry the scar. I have become a staunch
advocate for the unborn in both word and deed.”
Homily Suggestions on Pro-life Themes
Is 55:1-3
Rom 8:35, 37-39
Mt 14:13-21
Abortions do not happen because of “freedom of choice,” but rather
because some mothers and fathers feel they have no freedom and no choice.
They have needs that they think cannot be met without aborting their child.
They are captive to the coercive power of despair.
Today’s readings are about the Lord providing for our needs, issuing an
invitation to us to come to him confidently, to trust that he can fulfill
all those needs. Fundamentally, of course, this is an invitation to
salvation. But salvation is integral; it is bodily as well as spiritual, it
is communitarian as well as individual, and it extends its effects to our
daily needs, including those related to parenting.
No trial, such as the intense anxieties that can accompany pregnancy, is
too great for the love of Christ.
It is in that power and with that confidence that the People of God are
not only to come to him for their needs – for the grace to do what is right
and choose life in every circumstance – but also that the People of God are
to go to others who have such needs and trials, and strengthen them. We are
to ‘feed’ one another. The Gospel passage for today does not say that the
Lord simply went ahead and fed the crowds himself. It says he ordered his
disciples to feed them. They weren’t sure how to do that, but he
enabled them to do so.
And so it is today. Together, as the People of Life, we can meet the
needs faced by those who are tempted to abort, and we can meet their anguish
and distress with the victorious love of Christ.
