Intercessions for Life
January 2003
January 5th -- EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
That by the wonder of the Incarnation,
we might come to treasure the infinite gift
of each little child;
We pray to the Lord:
January 12th -- BAPTISM OF THE LORD
For all newly baptized children,
that the love of the Catholic community
might implant within them a love of the Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:
January 19th -- SECOND SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
For those who have grown very old,
that in this season of new life
we might come to treasure the great gift
which God gives to us in each one of their lives;
We pray to the Lord:
January 26th -- THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
For all who are tempted to sin against the Gospel of life,
that by our witness and unswerving love,
they may come to accept the mercy and truth
proclaimed by Christ and his Church;
We pray to the Lord:"For all [children], there is our Mother according to the Spirit: the Blessed Virgin Mary. To her I entrust your babies, so that they may become true Christians. I also entrust you, dear parents and godparents, to the Virgin Mary so that you may always know how to pass on to these infants the love they need to grow and to believe. Indeed, life and faith go hand in hand! With God's help may this always be true in the life of every baptized person!"
Pope John Paul II (Baptism of the Lord, 2002)
A Prayer for Life
Optional Memorial
Wednesday, January 22, 2003
Introduction
In November, 2001, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops approved the adaptation of the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. Following confirmation by the Holy See in February, 2002, the following it became particular law for the dioceses of the United States of America:
In all the dioceses of the United States of America, January 22 (or January 23, when the 22nd falls on a Sunday) shall be observed as a particular day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life. The Mass "For Peace and Justice" (no. 21 from "Masses for Various Needs") should be celebrated with violet vestments as an appropriate liturgical observance for this day.On January 22, 2003, a "day of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion, and of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life" will take place for the first time. The commentary is offered on the prayers for this celebration to assist homilists and those engaged in the planning of this liturgy.
Today is also, appropriately, the feast of Saint Vincent of Saragossa, a martyr in the early Christian Church. St. Vincent was killed under the reign of the Roman Emperor Diocletian in 304 A.D. He was the faithful spokesman for the church in Saragossa, since the Bishop there, Valerius, suffered from a speech impediment and relied on Vincent to preach the gospel under any and all circumstances. This would prove to be Vincent's real gift: he never backed away from speaking the truth to civil authorities no matter what the consequences. And in Vincent's case those consequences meant extended humiliation, torture and finally, execution. In witnessing to his Christian faith, this saint's call was to help convert the Governor of the region, Dacian, whose decisions deprived the poor and defenseless of their needs. So too for us today, the courage of Vincent is a great inspiration in defense of human life. We can recall with benefit the words of the gospel for this feast: "You will be dragged before governors and kings for my sake, to bear witness before them and the pagans. But when they hand you over, do not worry about how to speak or what to say; what you are to say will be given to you when the time comes; because it is not you who will be speaking; the Spirit of your Father will be speaking in you" (Matt.10:17-22).
Mass for Peace and Justice
The Entrance antiphon is taken based on the book of Sirach (See Sirach 36: 18-19) asking God to hear the prayers of his servants and guide us in the way of justice. Only God can answer our prayers that the littlest and most innocent among us be preserved and protected against the violence of abortion. As we sing this opening antiphon we join our voices with all those who seek the grace to defend the Gospel of Life.
The first Opening Prayer option begins by recalling that those who work for peace will be called the children of God. The second sentence of the prayer reminds us of the words of Pope Paul II in his famous address to the United Nations: "If you want peace, work for justice." The prayer asks God's grace to help us "to work without ceasing for that justice which brings true and lasting peace." The homilist might well reflect today on how we will never find true peace until God's justice prevails. True peace reigns only when every human heart, especially the littlest and most defenseless among us, enjoy the blessings of that peace. The work of spreading the Gospel of Life and defending the right to life of the not yet born must be the unceasing agenda of each person who seeks to bring ‘the peace the world cannot give' to our day.
The Prayer over the Gifts reminds us that it is only in Christ's sacrifice upon the cross that we can find the answers to the injustices of our day. Harmony and concord are born only from the side of the King and peacemaker through whom we offer the Eucharist. The homilist might reflect on the many ways we seek to find justice and peace: through politics, persuasion, public relations, the media, etc. Yet it is only at the foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus that we will ever find true and lasting peace which brings joy to the children of God (see Communion antiphon).
Finally, the Prayer after Communion asks that as God has renewed us with the body and blood of his Son, so he might fill use with "the spirit of love." Thus, we might be strengthened for the work ahead: establishing among all "Christ's farewell gift of peace." When related to the opening prayer, it becomes clear that to establish this peace we must work for justice: a justice which recognizes the infinite value of every human life from conception until natural death.
Reflections on the Readings
Hebrews 7:1-3, 15-17 and Mark 3:1-6
(LFM 313)
While the readings for this day may be taken from among the readings for a Mass for Peace and Justice (LFM, nos. 887-891), the readings for the day may also be used. The first reading from Hebrews recalls the great gift of the Priesthood, foreshadowed in Melchizedek, the king of Salem "and priest of God Most High." Abraham, we are told, gave to Melchizedek a tenth of everything he owned in honor of his priesthood, his closeness to God. Today, "another priest is raised up," who is Christ the Lord, the great High Priest. This new High Priest brings to us "the power of a life that cannot be destroyed." For the gift of that life we owe not one tenth or half or even most of our possessions. To Christ, the author of life and the Priest whose sacrifice has won for us the gift of eternal life, we all our all.
The Gospel today presents a special challenge to all who seek to defend the Gospel of Life and to preserve and protect the lives of unborn children. Those whose lives were totally absorbed by the law sought to judge Jesus. They would condemn him if he dared to cure someone on the Sabbath. For them, the law (and catching someone who was violating the law) was far more important than the individual person whose withered hand Jesus sought to heal. Jesus' question to those who sought to condemn him means a great deal to us as we seek to overturn the law which permits the taking of innocent human life "Is it lawful...to save life rather than to destroy it?" His accusers, we are told, "remained silent" and Jesus healed the man with the withered hand.
Is it lawful to take life today? Yes. We who seek to bring the healing power of Jesus to a nation whose soul has been torn asunder by the sin of abortion must not remain silent. We must defend the right to life of every person from conception to natural death and work to preserve the rights of all who are forgotten or weak or defenseless.
Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (LFM 68)
January 26, 2003
Jonah 3:1-5, 10
1 Corinthians 7:29-31
Mark 1:14-20
Notes for Homilists
What a great consolation today's readings are for those who seek to proclaim the Gospel of Life! How easy it is to become discouraged: to despair that those who espouse abortion, euthanasia and capital punishment will ever heed the consumate value of life from conception to natural death. How hard it is, sometimes, to believe that they will change.
Jonah had the same problem. "Go to the Ninevites," God told him. "Tell them to repent." But Jonah would not believe they could repent. He ran as far away as he could from God's call. He ran all the way to the belly of a whale. But when, after running away for as long as he was able, he finally gave in to God's will, he entered the city of Ninenveh. I wonder how much confidence this reluctant prophet put behind his proclamation in the streets: "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed."? Yet after only one day, we are told "the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth." If the people of Nineveh "turned from their evil ways," why do we doubt that God cannot turn the hearts of abortionists and those who oppose the Gospel of life today?
The proclamation of Jesus in the Gospel of Mark today is at the heart of the Gospel message: "The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel." Pope John Paul II has told us how this Gospel is a Gospel of Life. A Gospel of infinite love incarnate, of pure love which sacrifices unto death, of risen love which not even death can destroy. Simon and Andrew and James and John were all standing in their boats when the Lord called them to be fishers of men. They left all they knew and followed him to live this Gospel of Life. Will we do the same?
Pope John Paul II to the Pontifical Academy for Life
(February, 2000)
The evidence shows with increasing clarity how policies and laws opposed to life are causing societies to decline, not only morally but demographically and economically. The Encyclical Evangelium Vitae's message can therefore be presented not only as true and authentic guidelines for moral rebirth, but also as a reference-point for civil salvation.
Thus, there is no reason for that type of defeatist mentality which claims that laws opposed to the right to life - those which legalize abortion, euthanasia, sterilization and methods of family planning opposed to life and the dignity of marriage - are inevitable and now almost a social necessity. On the contrary, they are a seed of corruption for society and its foundations.
The civil and moral conscience cannot accept this false inevitability, any more than the idea that war or interethnic extermination is inevitable...
Pastors, the faithful and people of good will, especially if they are lawmakers, are asked for a renewed and united commitment to change unjust laws that legitimize or tolerate such violence.
No effort should be spared to eliminate legalized crime or at least to limit the damage caused by these laws, but with the vivid awareness of the radical duty to respect every human being's right to life from conception until natural death, including the life of the lowliest and the least gifted.
However, another extensive area of endeavor in the defense of life is open to the initiative of the believing community: this is the pastoral and educational field which the fourth part of the Encyclical discusses, offering particular guidelines for building a new culture of life. In the past five years, Dioceses and parishes have started many projects, but much remains to be done. ...
The changing of laws must be preceded and accompanied by the changing of mentalities and morals on a vast scale, in an extensive and visible way. In this area the Church will spare no effort nor can she accept negligence or guilty silence. ...
May every person of good will feel called to play an active part in this great cause. May he be sustained by the conviction that every step taken in defending the right to life and in its concrete advancement is a step towards peace and civilization.
Intercessions for Life
For young mothers everywhere,
and especially those who are tempted to despair,
that through the child they carry deep within,
they might know hope and joy;
We pray to the Lord:
For all whose hearts ache from the sin of abortion,
that God will soothe and heal us with the balm of his mercy;
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 a growing love of God's little ones,
in the womb, in the nursing home or at death's door.
That we might love with the love of Jesus;
We pray to the Lord:For all mothers,
especially those who are young or alone,
beaten or addicted;
that God might heal their broken hearts
and seal them with his love;
We pray to the Lord:
That the Lord,
who rescues the life of the poor from the power of the wicked,
might send an angel to guard and protect
all unborn children;
We pray to the Lord:
For (your U.S. Representative), and (your U.S. Senator),
and all the leaders of our country:
that God may make them strong and effective defenders
of the poor, the unborn and the forgotten;
We pray to the Lord:
Two Vigils for Life
The Nativity of the Lord
At the beginning of the first hour
Recall the story of the Annunciation (Luke 1: 26-38)
After a paulse for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
In perfect love, you became one of us:Lord have mercy. Bring joy to expectant parents when they learn they have conceived: Lord have mercy. Foster the love of each mother for the child of her womb: Lord have mercy. Strengthen each father's love for his unborn child: Lord have mercy. Banish all fear from the hearts of new parents: Lord have mercy. Give us the grace to accept your holy will: Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the second hour
Recall the story of the Visitation (Luke 1: 39-43)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
You give us the blessed example of Mary and Elizabeth:Lord have mercy. Send relatives to support all expectant parents: Lord have mercy. Provide wise counselors to guide them: Lord have mercy. Give them good friends to console them: Lord have mercy. Give them safe refuge when they are afraid: Lord have mercy. Through the intercession of Saint Elizabeth,
protect all unborn children and their mothers: Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the third hour
Recall when there was no room in the Inn (Luke 2:1-8)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations
Look with love on all pregnant mothers with nowhere to turn:Lord have mercy. Give the grace of patient endurance to young fathers who feel alone: Lord have mercy. Give rest in our homes and hearts to all frightened parents: Lord have mercy. Let us never turn away the stranger or the person in need: Lord have mercy. Give us rest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus: Lord have mercy. Give us rest in the ever present care of Mary, our Mother: Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the fourth hour
Recall the Blessed Birth of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 1: 18-25)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations
Bless each child awaiting birth into this world:Lord have mercy. Protect the child who waits in a mother's womb: Lord have mercy. Sanctify those who prepare mothers for the day of birth: Lord have mercy. Bring joy to the mother who first feel her child stir: Lord have mercy. Bring peace to parents who await their child's birth: Lord have mercy. Stir joy within the hearts of all expectant parents: Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the fifth hour
Recall the Angels and the Shepherds in the field (Luke 2: 9-14)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
Teach us to proclaim to the world the Good News of Life:Lord have mercy. Make us messengers of your good news to all who are in need: Lord have mercy. Send us to the poor that they might know your love: Lord have mercy. Teach us perfect joy that we might convert the world with love: Lord have mercy. Shepherd us to those most in need of your Gospel: Lord have mercy.
At the beginning of the sixth hour
Recall the Adoration of the Shepherds (Luke 2: 15-20)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
Give us true wonder at the mystery of birth:Lord have mercy. Give joy to parents and grandparents at the birth of each child: Lord have mercy. Teach us to honor and support expectant mothers: Lord have mercy. Teach us to honor and support expectant fathers: Lord have mercy. Let us see the face of Jesus in the birth of each child: Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the seventh hour
Recall the Journey of the Magi (Matthew 2:1-9)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations
Give us the strength for the journeys you call us to make:Lord have mercy. Help us to follow your stars and see the wonders you set before us: Lord have mercy. Let us seek Christ, the star which never sets,
every moment of our lives:Lord have mercy. Grant wisdom that we may never be lost on our pilgrimage to you: Lord have mercy. Bring us ever before the Gospel of Life
incarnate in Jesus your Son:Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the eighth hour
Recall the Adoration of the Magi (Matthew 2: 10-12)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
Let us bring the best gifts of our lives to honor new life:Lord have mercy. Grant us the will to give all in the service of Christ: Lord have mercy. May we bring all our possessions to the service of him, who brought us life: Lord have mercy. May we adore the infinite miracle present at the birth of each child: Lord have mercy. May we support and sustain all new parents: Lord have mercy. At the beginning of the ninth hour
Recall the Blessed Mystery of the Incarnation (Phillipians 2: 6-11)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
May we never cease to wonder at the joy of new life:Lord have mercy. May each newborn child be received as proof of God's eternal love: Lord have mercy. May each newborn child be cherished as an infinite treasure: Lord have mercy. May each newborn child be preserved, nourished and loved: Lord have mercy. May the birth of Christ, the Son of God, give us perduring strength: Lord have mercy. The Mystery of Faith
At the beginning of the first hour
Recall Christ's words at the Last Supper (John 16: 20-28)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
You gave your life for us, give us the strength to preserve the lives of others:
Feed us with your love, O Lord.
On the night before you died, your love embraced us all:
Feed us with your love, O Lord.
Embrace in your love the little child in his mother's womb:
Feed us with your love, O Lord.
At the beginning of the second hour
Recall when Jesus was condemned to death (John 18: 28 - 19: 16)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
You were unjustly condemned to die, hear our prayers for these little children:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
They washed their hands of your execution, give the courage to defend the weak:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
You stood before the jeering crowds, grant us the courage to stand with you:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
At the beginning of the third hour
Recall the Crucifixion of the Lord (John 19: 17-22)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
You were nailed to the cross, join your suffering to the children killed before birth:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
You accepted death that we might know life,
strength our love for every human bring:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
You were abandoned by those whom you loved,
give courage to the parents of every unborn child:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
At the beginning of the fourth hour
Recall the Death of the Lord Jesus (John 19: 25-20)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
You gave your last breath for love sinner,
help us to give our lives for the poor:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
By dying you destroyed our death,
give us love for every human life:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
In your Father's hands you have your Spirit,
accept the gift of our lives to do your will:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
At the beginning of the fifth hour
Recall the Deposition of the Body of the Lord (John 19: 38-42)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
They buried your body with mourning and tears, hear our cries for the aborted child:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
You showed that the grave is not the end of life,
embrace these little children in peace:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
You consecrated the grave in three days,
help us to wait in hope for your return in glory:
Have mercy on us, Lord.
At the beginning of the sixth hour
Recall the Women at the Tomb (John 20: 1-10)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
As an angel announced your resurrection,
teach us to announce the Gospel of Life:
Give us life, O Lord.
As you rose triumphant from the tomb,
destroy the deadly sin of abortion:
Give us life, O Lord.
As you resurrection brought joy to the women,
so bring joy to the heart of every expectant mother:
Give us life, O Lord.
At the beginning of the seventh hour
Recall Jesus' Appearance to Mary (John 20: 11-18)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations
You met Mary in your resurrected body,
come to every expectant parent with hope:
Abide with us, O Lord.
In an unexpected way she came to hear your voice, speak words of truth to new mothers:
Abide with us, O Lord.
Mary heard you speak her name,
call every child from his mother's womb:
Abide with us, O Lord.
At the beginning of the eighth hour
Recall our Joyful Hope in Awaiting his Return (Romans 8: 18-21)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
To a world so burdened by sin and death,
come to lead us home:
Come, Lord Jesus!
To a world where children lie in danger of death, come to lead us home:
Come, Lord Jesus!
To a world where we take the life of the unborn child, come to lead us home:
Come, Lord Jesus!
At the beginning of the ninth hour
Recall the cry Maranatha! (Revelation 22: 16-21)
After a pause for silent prayer, pray these or other invocations:
To the child who waits in her mother's womb:
Come, Lord Jesus!
To the fathers and mothers who are tempted and fearful:
Come, Lord Jesus!
To we who seek to defend the Gospel of life:
Come, Lord Jesus!
January 2003: Bulletin Briefs
Abortion is a reflection that we have not met the needs of women. Every woman deserves better than abortion.
—Campaign for Women Deserve Better, mission statement
America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships.
—Mother Teresa, "Notable and Quotable," Wall Street Journal, Feb. 25, 1994, A14
Neither human life nor the human person can ever be treated as an object to be manipulated or as a disposable commodity; rather each human being—at every stage of existence, from conception to natural death—is endowed by the Creator with a sublime dignity that demands the greatest respect and vigilance on the part of individuals, communities, nations, and international bodies."
—John Paul II, address to the new British Ambassador to the Vatican, Kathryn Frances Colvin, Sept. 7, 2002
The 1973 Supreme Court decision on Roe vs. Wade has been disastrous for our nation. Based on a complete disregard for human rights and enshrined for almost 30 years in false logic and rhetoric, that decision, more than any other in our recent history, has been responsible for blinding our national conscience to the truth about our God-given rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. The statement before us this week, "A Matter of the Heart," reflects on the impact of Roe vs. Wade, calls again – in the name of truth and justice – for that ruling to be overturned, and expresses the gratitude of the bishops to all those who have kept the truth about human life alive. Our prophetic persistence in preaching the Gospel of Christ on this issue cannot but allow falsity to give way to the truth, and truth to bring rightful comfort to the unborn.
– Presidential Address by Bishop Wilton Gregory, November 2002 Meeting of the USCCB
__________________________
Secretariat for Pro-Life Activities
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194 (202) 541-3070