Celebrant: God has placed the light of Christ in our hearts. In that light we find compassion for all those in need, and the confidence to bring those needs now before the throne of God.

Deacon/Lector:

That all who have not yet heard the Gospel may hear it soon through the work of the missionaries of the Church and through the personal witness of all the Church's members, we pray to the Lord...

That governments which do not permit religious freedom may recognize the rights of their citizens to worship God publicly, we pray to the Lord...

For women who are pregnant but feel afraid and abandoned, that despite their afflictions, the grace of God and the help of others will give them the strength to welcome and nurture new life, we pray to the Lord...

For all who provide crucial public services, such as police, firefighters, and medical personnel, that they may be blessed and strengthened in their work, we pray to the Lord...

For all travelers, that they may reach their destinations in safety and in peace, we pray to the Lord...

For all the sick, that they be healed, and for all who have died, that they may see God face to face, we pray to the Lord...

Celebrant:

Father, 
You have sent us Your Son
And blessed us in him with every spiritual blessing.
Hear our prayers,
And continue to show us your infinite goodness.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Get Involved in Saving Lives!

As we learn from today’s readings, preserving of life is more important than the law. This simple truth is obvious in countless ways in our daily lives and in our public policy. When an ambulance rushes through traffic, everything stops and lets it have priority. Lives are at stake. "No trespassing" signs are meant to preserve certain values of privacy and property, but life is a value that towers above all, and therefore one can violate a "no trespassing" sign in order to save a life, and that would be no violation at all. So even in terms of the sacred law of the Sabbath, Jesus says that the preserving of life is more important.

That is why the effort to save the lives of children from abortion is so important and praiseworthy, and there are many things you can do. Learn more about the pro-life movement at our web page EndAbortion.US.

Deut 5:12-15
2 Cor 4:6-11
Mark 2:23 - 3:6 or 2:23-28

Click here for a video with homily hints.

The preserving of life is more important than the law. This simple truth is obvious in countless ways in our daily lives and in our public policy. "No trespassing" signs are meant to preserve certain values of privacy and property, but life is a value that towers above all, and therefore one can violate a "no trespassing" sign in order to save a life, and that would be no violation at all. So even in terms of the sacred law of the Sabbath, Jesus says that the preserving of life is more important.
Jesus said the Sabbath is made for man, not man for the Sabbath. That is because all the law is made for the good of human beings. It all points to Christ, and in Christ, human life is taken to the throne of God. All of salvation history is for the fulfillment of this plan of the exaltation of the human person in God. That is why we are pro-life, and that is why the work of preserving and celebrating human life is more important than any other.
The principle of the primacy of the human person in relation to the Sabbath applies to all other institutions as well. The State is made for human beings, not human beings for the state. The Courts are made for human beings, not human beings for the courts. The medical profession is made for human beings, not human beings for the medical profession, and so on. When this principle is obscured or contradicted, we end up with abortion, and similar forms of slavery and exploitation.