Celebrant: Confident in God's eternal love and concern for our daily needs, we offer our prayers and petitions to him.

Deacon/Lector:

That the Church may encourage all the labor by which the laity shape society in accordance with the Gospel, we pray to the Lord.

For all teachers and school administrators, that the wisdom of the Holy Spirit may guide their important work, we pray to the Lord…

For widows and orphans, for the marginalized and the oppressed, and for the unborn children in danger of being aborted, we pray to the Lord...

That those burdened with illness may know the love that Jesus has for them through the love and care extended by their families and friends, we pray to the Lord...

That those who have died may rest with the Lord for all eternity in the heavenly kingdom, we pray to the Lord...

Celebrant: Father, we ask you to hear and answer these prayers which we spoken and those which remain within our heats. We ask this through Christ our Lord.  Amen.

Strengthened by our Eucharistic Lord, each of us must rededicate ourselves to serving the cause of life. May our Catholic parishes continue to welcome, embrace, and accompany women facing unexpected or challenging pregnancies, offering material, emotional, and spiritual support. I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the countless individual Catholics who have dedicated themselves to parish and community initiatives… May we never tire of sharing Christ’s message of mercy with all who are suffering in the aftermath of an abortion. The Church continually offers hope and healing to women and men… - Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge Bishop of Arlington  Chairman, USCCB Committee on Pro-Life Activities, Statement on the two-year anniversary of the Dobbs Supreme Court decision. (June 21, 2024)

Dt 4:1-2, 6-8
Jas 1:17-18, 21b-22, 27
Mk 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

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The Culture of Life will come about when we practice the “true religion” of which James speaks in the second reading. “Looking after orphans and widows in their distress” is what the pro-life movement does. The unborn child is the most orphaned of all when he or she is scheduled for an abortion. “Though father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me” – and the Lord receives them precisely through his people practicing “true religion.” The mothers of these children may not be widowed in the sense that their husbands died, but they experience very often the absence of the father of the child, who may in fact be the one pressuring them to abort.

The Gospel passage makes it clear that the building of the Culture of Life comes “from within,” just as do the death-producing ways of thinking that lead to the Culture of Death. The culture must be shaped by external factors, including law, and these factors can powerfully shape the heart. Yet from within the depth of the heart will spring our readiness to give life, welcome life, and defend life.