Celebrant: God's grace has touched us all, and in its strength we now have the courage to present to Him all our needs.

Deacon/Lector:

That all who serve as ambassadors of Christ by preaching His word may be renewed in faith and in fidelity to their mission, we pray to the Lord...

That the nations of the world may enjoy peace and stability, and work in mutual harmony, we pray to the Lord...

For our Jewish brothers and sisters, that God who once gave them the promised land may enable them to grow in faithfulness to His Covenant, we pray to the Lord...

For all those who have had or participated in abortion, that they may trust in the Father of mercies, who always welcomes His repentant children, we pray to the Lord…

That those in our families and our parish who experience illness or loneliness may also experience God's grace and consolation, we pray to the Lord...

That all our departed brothers and sisters may have eternal rest and joy, we pray to the Lord...

Celebrant:

Father,
may we who have strayed from your friendship
also experience your forgiveness
and the answers to the prayers
we have placed before You today.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

..Our society struggles with the "Culture of Death," which shows itself fundamentally in the ongoing tragedy of abortion. The evidence is the same for all to see, made clearer than ever by genetics and fetology, that abortion kills a human being. Some receive that evidence and, with a willing heart, choose life. Others show the stubbornness of the Pharisees and cling to their own ideology. Not to know the child in the womb is not a sin. But the refusal to know is. Jesus declares to the Pharisees at the end of the drama of John 9, "If you were blind, there would be no sin in that, but 'We see,' you say, and your sin remains" (v.41). "Repent and believe the Good News!" What good news? The good news, in the words of The Gospel of Life, that "life is always a good...manifestation of God in the world, a sign of His presence, a trace of His glory" (#34). This Lent, let us choose life again! – A Pro-Life Lent, ProLife Leader Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life, EndAbortion.us

Jos 5:9a, 10-12
2 Cor 5:17-21
Lk 15:1-3, 11-32

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The readings today present two equally important aspects of reconciliation, which have profound implications for the battle between the Culture of Death and the Culture of Life.

The second reading says, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ,” and then says, “We implore you on behalf of Christ: be reconciled to God.” The preacher can raise the question for the congregation, “Who is doing the reconciling? If it is God who is doing it, then why are we implored to ‘be reconciled’?” 

The Israelites, as the first reading says, were freed from Egypt and given the Promised Land – yet they still had to fight for it once there, and they still had to struggle to observe the way of life of the covenant. The Prodigal Son, in today’s Gospel passage, was greeted by a father who was already working reconciliation for him, eagerly anticipating his return. Yet he, too, had to work out his salvation. He had to struggle. He had to make a deliberate decision to renounce his way of life, get up, and make the journey back to the father. 

Reconciliation is never achieved passively. And both in the case of the Israelites and the Prodigal Son, a key motive to doing what needed to be done on their part to be reconciled to God was that they had reached a dead end. Life in slavery was not appealing, and life for the son, far away from the father, had likewise lost its appeal. A dead end has tremendous persuasive power. 

We have reached a dead end in this nation with the practice of abortion. Though abortion advocates promised in the late 1960’s that legalizing abortion would reduce child abuse and a host of other social ills, just the opposite has happened, and those ills have become worse. The men and women of the “Silent No More Awareness Campaign” (SilentNoMore.com) witness to the nation that their involvement in abortion solved nothing, but rather brought many problems of its own. That is why, as they recall their abortions, they demand that the government recall this dangerous product from circulation (see RecallAbortion.com). 

It is time for the nation to be reconciled with God. The hard work of reconciliation on our part includes the work of being reconciled with all our brothers and sisters. We cannot be reconciled to God unless we move toward our brothers and sisters to be reconciled with them – and this includes our unborn brothers and sisters. It includes everyone. Being reconciled with the unborn means recognizing them as persons like ourselves, speaking up for their rights, and working for their protection.