Celebrant: We ask God to look upon us in mercy as we lift up our
prayers for ourselves and all those in need.
Deacon/Lector:
For the pope, bishops, priests and deacons; that they may imitate the Son
of Man in leading the people of God to the Gospel of Life, we pray to the
Lord…
For our President, our congressmen and senators, the Justices of our
Supreme Court, and all who seek to foster principles on which this country
was founded, we pray to the Lord…
That God, who looks for justice rather than bloodshed, may strengthen all
nations to protect human life, especially at its most vulnerable stages, we
pray to the Lord...
That families will be strengthened as they seek to welcome the Lord into
their hearts and homes, we pray to the Lord…
That all who have died may be purified of sin and welcomed into the glory
of heaven, we pray to the Lord…
Celebrant:
Merciful God, hear the prayers of your faithful people and give us the
gift of faith that we may serve one another. We ask this through Christ our
Lord.
Bulletin Insert
The Church opposes abortion, but embraces with mercy those who have made
this mistake. Let’s all take encouragement from these words of Pope John
Paul II: “I would now like to say a special word to women who have had an
abortion. The Church is aware of the many factors which may have influenced
your decision, and she does not doubt that in many cases it was a painful
and even shattering decision. The wound in your heart may not yet have
healed. Certainly what happened was and remains terribly wrong. But do not
give in to discouragement and do not lose hope. Try rather to understand
what happened and face it honestly. If you have not already done so, give
yourselves over with humility and trust to repentance. The Father of mercies
is ready to give you his forgiveness and his peace in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. To the same Father and to his mercy you can with sure hope
entrust your child.” (The Gospel of Life, #99).
Homily Suggestions on Pro-life Themes
Is 5:1-7
Phil 4:6-9
Mt 21:33-43
Following are some “starter” ideas for a homily for Respect Life Sunday. Using the context outlined below the celebrant can reveal the
meaning of the readings and show their application to building a Culture of
Life. At the same time, Priests for Life recommends placing these
reflections in the context of our overall recommendations about preaching on
abortion. The three standard elements in the pro-life homily are summarized
at
www.priestsforlife.org/preaching/elements.html. A more lengthy
exposition of the dynamics of preaching on abortion can be found at
www.priestsforlife.org/preaching/newpreachingonabortion.htm, and a
sample homily drawn from these principles can be read at
www.priestsforlife.org/preaching/homilylovethemboth.htm.
Twenty-Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Overview: The First Reading and Gospel passage assigned to this
Sunday talk about the vineyard of the Lord, and the fact that those to whom
the vineyard was entrusted did not properly respond to the Lord or yield the
fruit for which he was looking. Instead, they broke his covenant, killed his
prophets and eventually his Son, and had the vineyard taken away from them.
Reflection: God entered into a covenant of Life with his people
from of old, and the prophets spoke untiringly of the demands of that
covenant, both in regard to what the people owed God and what they owe one
another. Those who worshipped God were to help their neighbor; those who
believed in the God who rescued them were bound to care for and rescue one
another. The failure to do this led to such rebukes as are found in Isaiah
1. The theme carries over into Isaiah 5, today’s first reading.
The Gospel parable refers, historically, to the history of God’s people
killing the prophets, who urged them not to worship false gods or make
covenants with death. A good summary of the history of the people’s
rejection of the covenant is found in Psalm 106. God’s people, having
inherited the Promised Land, still had to do battle with the foreign nations
around them. They were told not to adopt the practices of those people, for
they did not know the true God. God’s people, however, did mingle with these
other nations and even joined in their rituals. The most grievous of the
sins of God’s people was when, in imitation of the pagan nations, “they
sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons and they shed innocent
blood, the blood of their sons and their daughters” (Ps. 106:37-38). Rather
than bearing the fruit of life, rooted in true worship, they bore the fruit
of death, rooted in false worship.
True worship, instead, would have led the people to embrace the prophets’
admonitions to “do justice, redress the wronged, hear the orphan’s plea,
defend the widow” (Is. 1:17). As James puts it, “Looking after orphans and
widows in their distress…makes for pure worship before our God and Father”
(James 1:27). Those most defenseless in our midst today are the unborn.
Application: This line of thought can then be applied to us, first
and foremost in that we are entrusted with a vineyard, too, which is the new
and everlasting Covenant in the blood of Christ. That covenant is renewed at
the Eucharist, where we resolve to bear good fruit for the Lord, as his
life-giving Body and Blood are given to us. We will not betray the covenant
with which we are entrusted.
As of old, so today, that covenant gives us obligations to one another.
As John Paul II explained in Evangelium Vitae 76, “The Creator has
entrusted man's life to his responsible concern, not to make arbitrary use
of it, but to preserve it with wisdom and to care for it with loving
fidelity. The God of the Covenant has entrusted the life of every individual
to his or her fellow human beings, brothers and sisters, according to the
law of reciprocity in giving and receiving, of self-giving and of the
acceptance of others. In the fullness of time, by taking flesh and giving
his life for us, the Son of God showed what heights and depths this law of
reciprocity can reach. With the gift of his Spirit, Christ gives new content
and meaning to the law of reciprocity, to our being entrusted to one
another. The Spirit who builds up communion in love creates between us a new
fraternity and solidarity, a true reflection of the mystery of mutual
self-giving and receiving proper to the Most Holy Trinity. The Spirit
becomes the new law which gives strength to believers and awakens in them a
responsibility for sharing the gift of self and for accepting others, as a
sharing in the boundless love of Jesus Christ himself.”
The vineyard we have here in the United States, in particular, entrusts
us with profound gifts of freedom. We can shape our own culture and
government. God asks us to bear fruits of life rather than to abuse our
freedom with perversions of “choice” that end up taking life.
Additional Context and Elements: Priests for Life recommends
certain standard elements in a pro-life homily: alternatives to abortion,
healing and forgiveness after abortion, and responses to common slogans.
These homily elements are outlined in our “Preaching on Abortion” booklet,
which also provides significant background information about preaching on
abortion (see links above).
The congregation should be called to embrace practical action for the
defense of life. Joining (or starting) a parish pro-life committee is one of
the first steps. Participating in daily prayer (see
www.PrayerCampaign.org) is another. Suggestions on our pro-life bulletin
insert can also be urged (see
www.priestsforlife.org/bulletin).
