For an end to all laws which legalize the taking of a human life, that our nation might embrace truth and justice; We pray to the Lord:
For little children who await the birth of a brother or sister: that they may learn to cherish the child in their mother's womb; We pray to the Lord:
For doctors, who in their practice abort unborn children: that God might give them the grace to turn from sin and remember the Gospel; We pray to the Lord:
For all who work in abortion clinics: that through the intercession of the Mother of God, they might come to love the unborn child: We pray to the Lord:
For mothers broken by the memory of a child lost to abortion, that through the intercession of the Mother of God, the gentle and merciful love of God may heal their innermost being; We pray to the Lord:
For fathers of children lost to abortion, that through the intercession of good Saint Joseph, they may repent of all sin, receive God's mercy and live lives of exemplary goodness; We pray to the Lord.
Hebrews 9:2-3, 11-14/Mark 3:20-21
Jesus upset his relatives. In today's very short Gospel we hear that they were so upset, they tried to stop him from speaking to the crowds.
It's never popular to preach the truth, whether on the shores of Galilee or in front of an abortion clinic in your city. There will always be plenty of people to condemn you when you speak the truth, whether in front of the temple in Jerusalem or before a Senate panel in Washington. Yet from the cross to the pulpit to Capitol Hill, every Catholic is under an obligation to preach the Gospel of Life.
St. Paul tells us today about Christ, our great High Priest. This High Priest entered once and for all into the Holy of Holies, performing the one, true and perfect sacrifice. His sacrifice was not with the blood of sheep or goats, but with his own blood. His sacrifice was not on an altar of stone, but on the altar of teh cross. Christ was the Priest and the Victim for our sins.
By his death we have come to know the gift of life. It is a gift which does not belong to us, but only to God, the author and custodian of life. To take life is wrong, whether it is growing in a mother's womb or in a laboratory dish, whether condemned in a prison cell, or has grown weak from age: all life is sacred. Christ died for every human being, and every human life is precious beyond measure.
Pray for an end to abortion. Pray for an end to capital punishment. Pray for a growing appreciation of the sacredness of every human life from conception to natural death. Pray and work for justice and they will be upset with you, they will make fun of you, and they will try to silence you. Just like they tried to silence him.