Intercessions for Life
January 21, 2001
That as a star guided the wise men to the author of life,
the Church might be the light in the darkness of a culture of death;
We pray to the Lord:
That as Christ sanctified the union of husband and wife at Cana,
we might cherish the Sacrament of Marriage
as the source of life and love;
We pray to the Lord:
That as Christ came to bring glad tidings to the poor,
we might seek out all victims of abortion,
especially women scarred by the pain of evil;
We pray to the Lord:
That we might join our voice with the Psalmist
in defense of all life,
depending only upon the Lord,
who is our strength from our mother's womb;
We pray to the Lord:
Children [are the] springtime of the family and society. ...Children are ... the hope that comtinually blossoms, a project that starts ever anew, the future that opens without ceasing. They represent the flowering of married love, which is found and strengthened in them. At their birth they bring a message of life.
—Pope John Paul II, Address to the Third World Meeting of Families, Oct. 14, 2000
Human beings were not made for solitude. ... [They] grow to the extent they enter into relationships with others, fully discovering themselves only in 'a sincere giving of self. ...' Purely functional relationships are not enough for human beings. They need interpersonal relationships that are rich in inner depth, gratuitousness and self-sacrifice. Fundamental among these are the relationships created in the family: between husband and wife, and between them and their children.
—Pope John Paul II, homily October 15, 2000
As religious leaders, we know that human life is our first gift from a loving Father and the condition for all other earthly goods. We know that no human government can legitimately deny the right to life or restrict it to certain classes of human beings. Therefore the Court's abortion decisions deserve only to be condemned, repudiated and ultimately reversed
—NCCB, "Abortion and the Supreme Court: Advancing the Culture of Death," Nov. 15, 2000
As United States citizens, we deplore the fact that our nation is at risk of forgetting the promise made to generations yet unborn by our Declaration of Independence: that our nation would respect life as first among the inalienable rights bestowed on us by our Creator. To uphold that promise, the nation's founders pledged their lives, their fortunes and their sacred honor.
We must do no less.
—NCCB, "Abortion and the Supreme Court: Advancing the Culture of Death," Nov. 15, 2000