December 2007
Dear Lay Missionary of the Gospel of Life,
By the time you
receive this letter you would have celebrated the holy nativity
of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! I want you to know that I
held you in my heart and prayers as you celebrated that blessed
day. I look forward to deepening our faith together this
Christmastide and promoting the Gospel of Life in the New Year.
Two special feast days remaining in this month call us to
exercise the liturgical component of our Missionary spirituality
- www.priestsforlife.org/missionary/spirituality.htm. Let's join
together to give special emphasis to the Pro-life dimensions of
these Holy Feasts. It is important that we experience the
Pro-life rhythm through the Church calendar and liturgy.
The Holy Innocents, December 28: These children were
martyrs because they were killed as part of an attack on Christ.
Today, though opposition to Christ is not normally the intention
of those who have abortions, it is nevertheless a central part
of the efforts of those who deliberately and persistently work
worldwide to assure that abortion remains legal. Mockery of
Scripture, Christians, the Church, and God himself is a common
aspect of the beliefs, writings, and activities of radical
abortion advocates. The children killed by abortion are the Holy
Innocents of our day, and some theologians and other members of
the faithful are studying and advocating for the possibility
that the Church will claim these children as martyrs. (Fr.
Pavone)
For Further Study:
Pro-life Homily for
the Feast of the Holy Innocents: www.priestsforlife.org/frwest/holyinnocentshomily.htm
The Hope of Salvation for Infants who die without being Baptised,
by The International Theological Commission:
www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/infant-death-without-baptism.htm
The Holy Family, December 30: Christ chose to be born and
grow up in the bosom of the holy family of Joseph and Mary. The
Church is nothing other than "the family of God." From the
beginning, the core of the Church was often constituted by those
who had become believers "together with all [their] household."
When they were converted, they desired that "their whole
household" should also be saved. These families who became
believers were islands of Christian life in an unbelieving
world. (C.C.C. 1655)
For Further Study:
Letter To Families,
by John Paul II: www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/papal/94-02-02lettertofamilies.htm
Let's get the New Year off to a holy start by participating in
the first Friday (Jan.4) of the month Pro-life Examination of
Conscience
http://www.priestsforlife.org/prayers/in-the-palm-revised.pdf
as well as our daily Prayer of Consecration
www.priestsforlife.org/prayers/consecration.htm and Prayer to
End Abortion www.priestsforlife.org/prayers/praytoendabortion.htm.
January will be a powerful month of Pro-life activity that will
inaugurate a year of witness to the sacredness of every human
being from conception to natural death. Fr. Frank and I want to
do everything possible to help equip you for this work of
witness. Please be on the look out for our E-mails that will
give both spiritual and practical ways to establish the culture
of life in homes, cities, nation and world.
Rejoicing with you in the Victory of Christ!
Sincerely,
Jim Pinto, Jr. M.E.V.
Pastoral Associate: Priests for Life
National Coordinator: Missionaries of the Gospel of Life-Lay
Associates
E-mail: Missionary@priestsforlife.org