“Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let us go out in the field." When they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord asked Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He answered, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" The Lord then said: "What have you done! Listen: your brother's blood cries out to me from the soil!” (Gn. 4:8-10)
Lord, when the first murder in human history occurred,
And Cain killed his brother Abel,
You heard the cry of Abel’s blood from the ground.
You then asked Cain, “Where is your brother?”
You reminded him that he had responsibility
For the well-being of his brother,
And that whether his brother’s life was safe
Was indeed his business.
Lord, you entrust all of us
To the care of one another.
Your question, “Where is your brother?”
Echoes down the corridor of history
And is asked forcefully of every generation.
In the New Covenant, You affirm this even more profoundly
As You declare that whatever we do to the least
Of our brothers and sisters,
We do to You, O Lord.
Lord, the question, “Where is your brother?”
Was asked of the Supreme Court in 1973,
And in the Roe vs. Wade decision,
They gave the same answer as Cain:
“I don’t know…am I my brother’s keeper?”
Preserve us, Lord, from ignoring our duty
To preserve the lives of our brothers and sisters.
Protect us from the error
That innocent blood is none of our business.
Rather, enable us to engage in the business of love,
As we speak up for and work to save
All who are in danger,
Especially our youngest brothers and sisters
Threatened by abortion.
Lord, save all Your people,
Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life