Homily for the Day of Prayer
for the
Legal Protection of Unborn
Children
January 22, 2021
Collect
Ursulines, Willow Dr.
We prayed that we may remain faithful to the sacred trust we have from God to be stewards of creation, and that we may be constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life (Collect).
As stewards of creation, we have a
responsibility for the entire created world, as Pope Francis reminds us
often. The earth is our common home, and
environmental protection is a life issue.
But today’s emphasis is, rightly, on the
protection of the unborn. We can’t
assemble this year for peaceful protest, but we can pray and lobby for just
laws and public policies. Pres. Biden
has announced the commitment of his administration to science and to truth. We pray that he will grasp the science and
the truth that an unborn human being is a human being and deserves protection.
We can advocate for programs that make it
easier for women to raise children; perhaps some of you already take part in
such programs. We can argue for laws and
policies that empower women to resist unjust male pressures.
The protection of human life is, as Card.
Bernardin argued, a seamless garment.
You know that very well, that upholding the right to life of the sick
and the aged and someone of a different race or national origin, even of a
criminal, is all part of a complete attitude of respect for life that includes
the unborn child. There are a lot of
demons that must be driven out of our society (Mark 3:15).
There is a further aspect to “safeguarding
the dignity of every human life” that we have to keep in mind and
practice. That’s the dignity of the
people we live with! Too often our
attitudes, words, and behavior assault our sisters and brothers: judgments, gossip, jealousy, petty lies,
standoffishness, etc. In their own way,
these are life issues, too. Let’s strive
to love one another, which affirms life.
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