Mass for Helpers of God's Precious Infants
Saint John the Evangelist Church, Philadelphia
March 15, 2003
Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
Saint John the Evangelist Church, Philadelphia
March 15, 2003
Anthony Cardinal Bevilacqua
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. . . ." [Mt 5:43-44]
My sisters and brothers in the Lord, we come together today with one purpose - to pray. Prayer is the most powerful means we have to touch the hearts and minds of individuals who have been lured into the culture of death. Prayer is an essential means in changing the hearts of those who promote the false idea that the dignity of womanhood is compromised by motherhood. Prayer is needed for those who feel compelled to assist and encourage another person to choose death over life. Prayer brings courage to the women who face incredible emotional pressure from family, friends and society to choose abortion rather that life for their unborn child. Prayer is a source of strength for those who have experienced an abortion, who need compassion and forgiveness from God, family, friends, and our community. Indeed, prayer and love for our enemies, and for those who are strong opponents of our beliefs is not something we feel, but rather something we do based upon our faith in God's love for us. We have gathered together for a worthy cause, a noble cause, a God-centered cause. We gather to lift our voices for the most vulnerable of our society, the unborn and for their mothers who, abandoned and afraid, feel they have nowhere to turn.
Let our prayer today be guided by the words we have just heard from Sacred Scripture, words spoken by Jesus in concluding His Sermon on the Mount. Jesus, in teaching the Beatitudes calls each of us to a spiritual height in the present and in the future kingdom of heaven. The Beatitudes proclaim happiness for us as we hunger and thirst for holiness. That thirst for holiness in our life is the fulfillment of God's will. Blessed too are the merciful, and blessed are those who are agents of peace and justice.
As followers of Jesus, we must be as Saint Matthew writes, "the salt of the earth ... [and] ... the light of the world. [Mt 5:13-14]. Like salt we are to improve the quality of human existence, preserving it from destruction and despair. As light we must be beacons of truth, justice and hope in a world so often shrouded in darkness. In all our activities we must be guided by the teaching and example given to us by Jesus. Those teachings instruct and lead us in the ways of compassion, life and love for all human life.
My brothers and sisters, never forget that each of us is sacred to the Lord and is to be respected, protected, and loved as His creation. For our part we are exhorted in our reading from Deuteronomy to be mindful that, "Today you are making this agreement with the Lord: he is to be your God and you are to walk in his ways, to observe his statutes, commandments and decrees, and to hearken to his voice." We must remain ever vigilant in our commitment to the protection of all human life from the very moment of conception to a natural death, and at the same time to be ever obedient to His commandment to love our enemies, to pray for our persecutors.
Our call to walk in the way of the Lord is echoed in the psalm refrain, "Blessed are they who follow the law of the Lord!" To follow the law of the Lord is not a question of legalism, but of love and a sincere desire for the message of God found in Israel's law. We are called to love all our brothers and sisters not according to human terms, but, rather, according to the example of God's unconditional love. At times, we may feel like a voice crying in the wind of injustice, but with the grace of almighty God we will prevail.
You who are present for this monthly prayer pilgrimage again today publicly embrace the lofty goals of the "Helpers of God's Precious Infants," which are to "promote the sanctity of life and return our communities to a morality based on God's Laws." By centering your activity around this Eucharistic celebration, you give open witness to the priority of prayer. When you go forth to demonstrate visibly your opposition to the horrendous act of abortion, you go forth in prayer seeking Our Blessed Mother's intercession.
Always be mindful of the invitation which Jesus gives to each of us to "be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect." (Mt. 5:48) As humans, we can never achieve the perfection of God, but we can strive each day to use our potential to the fullest, grounded in the love and compassion of our God. That perfection to which we are called as part of God's plan for our life is a plan initiated at our Baptism, empowered with our Confirmation and nourished by the Body and Blood of Jesus in Eucharist.
Later, as we conclude this time of pilgrimage before the Blessed Sacrament, let us be mindful of the words of our Holy Father given on January 12, 2003, for World Mission Sunday, 2003, "Contemplating the face of Christ leads to a deeper, interior familiarity with His mystery. Contemplating Jesus with the eyes of faith impels one to penetrate the mystery of the Trinitarian God. Jesus says: 'He who has seen me has seen the Father.' With the Rosary we advance on this mystical journey 'in union with, and at the school of, his Most Holy Mother.' Indeed, Mary makes herself our teacher and guide."
May God bless your work in the name of the unborn. May you come to full perfection in the Lord and may you always pray for God's peace, especially in these troubled times in our world, and for justice for all men and women.