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.

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).

 Wis 12:13, 16-19
Rom 8:26-27
Mt 13:24-43 or 13:24-30

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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.SilentNoMore.com ). Also, many abortionists have converted and now speak out publicly about it (see www.AbortionTestimony.com. ).

As we try to elect and lobby public officials, 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.