Homily for the 27th Sunday of Ordinary Time...RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY 2014

Homily given at the Saturday Evening 4:30pm Mass for Respect Life Sunday

 

Homily for the 27^th Sunday of Ordinary Time…Pro-life Sunday

Brothers and sisters this first weekend of the month of October is known as Pro-Life Sunday. The Church has been, is, and will forever be pro-life. All Catholics are called to hold the sanctity of every human life from the very moment of conception to natural death. This is not an optional teaching, it is an absolute requirement.

Certainly it’s not always easy being pro-life for many times we are fighting against the perceived notion of popular opinion. Contraception is becoming the norm and widely accepted among Catholics. Engagement of the marital act outside of marriage is becoming more prevalent. There is some good news on the horizon for some are starting to wake up to the travesty of abortions. However, more work must be done.

Abortion is a sin, contraception is a sin, euthanasia is a sin, and any engagement of the marital act outside of the sacrament of marriage is a sin. This is clear Church teaching and it must be taught no matter how unpopular it might be. All of us are sinners and some of us may have fallen into these sins. If that is the case don’t despair, God loves us and He is merciful. Dislike the sin, not the sinner. Parents often make sure their children know when they do something wrong, not for the sake of getting mad, but do so out of love and a desire to protect them. The Church does so because she loves the sinner and wants them all to share in eternal life.

This year’s pro-life theme is “Each of us is a masterpiece of God’s creation.” Yes despite our faults and weaknesses we are a part of that beautiful masterpiece. The sanctity of life and its protection is one of the cornerstones of our faith. As we heard in today’s Gospel from Matthew, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” Do not reject this core teaching of our Church, open your hearts to the Lord, open your hearts to life. Our Lord has a warning for us at the end of Gospel for what could happen if we reject Him, “Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit.”

My encouragement to you by brothers and sisters is to trust in the Lord’s merciful love. The very fact the Lord provides for us the Sacraments especially the sacrament of reconciliation demonstrates that the Lord does not wish the Kingdom of God to be taken away from us. He desires and He wants us to succeed and to produce fruit. So if you are falling and struggling with sin, please trust in the Lord’s mercy. It is never too late to produce good fruit.
On pro-life Sunday we need to be reminded what constitutes a sin, in order for us to eventually reach our final destination which is awaiting us. However we must be reminded to put our pro-life principals into practice. One of the excuses people use to justify abortion and contraception is because they don’t feel they can handle the financial burden. Here is where those whose children are grown or perhaps don’t have children of their own can help. Consider a donation to Pregnancy and Family Resource Center. For those who might find themselves looking to feed the poor, consider volunteering at the Food Kitchen or making a donation to the Catholic Harvest Food Pantry. It is important for us not to just talk pro-life it is important for us to act pro-life.

All of us are a masterpiece in God’s creation. We are all important and it is important for us to love one another and treat one another with the respect everyone deserves as Children of God. I conclude my reflection by reechoing the closing words of Saint Paul in his letter to the Philippians, “Keep on doing what you have learned and received and heard and seen in me. Then the God of peace will be with you.” Be open to life, protect life, and live life. Keep that front and center and indeed we will feel the peace of God fill us!