Here we are back in Ordinary Time. Many people active in the
Church will often be heard saying: “There is nothing ordinary about Ordinary
Time.” It gets its name from the ordinal numbers, the numbers that show an
order, such as first, second, third, fourth, fifth, and so on. One problem is
that in English, the word “ordinary” means plain, normal, mundane.
We just came out of the Christmas season where we focused on
Jesus’ birth and the Mystery of the Incarnation. During Ordinary Time, we do
not focus on just one aspect of the Paschal Mystery but on the fullness of the
Mystery of Christ.
Today in the Gospel, we hear St. John the Baptist say: “Behold
the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.” Behold love. Behold the
one who offers himself as a gift so that we may have life and have it
abundantly. That is the definition of love. St. John the Baptist and all the
saints have been imitating the love of Christ for 2,000 years. They realized
that love is sacrificing one’s own comfort for the good of another, and they
imitated that love. That sacrificial love of the Lamb of God is the Good News
for us.
You and I are also called to imitate that sacrificial love. Parents
make sacrifices every day, so their children may have life and have it
abundantly. There is nothing more beautiful. There’s also some bad news today. Love’s
opposite runs rampant in our land. Some who get the news they are parents ask
the child to sacrifice her life for the comfort or convenience of the parent. This
is the opposite of love.
Many pro-life groups observe today as Sanctity of Life
Sunday in our country. It gives us the opportunity to acknowledge the precious
gift of human life. President Ronald Reagan designated January 22, 1984 as the first National Sanctity of Human Life Day. That date was the 11th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton Supreme Court cases that legalized abortion in all 50 states through all nine months of pregnancy. Now we are up to
44 years since this national disgrace has been legal. And it happens over 3,000
times a day in our land. Meanwhile, many married couples waiting to give
sacrificial love through adoption continue waiting.
Today the words of Isaiah from our first reading have
special meaning. “Now the Lord has spoken, who formed me as his servant from
the womb…” He also adds the line: “I am made glorious in the sight of the
Lord…” Isn’t it amazing that we are glorious in the sight of the Lord before we
even get a chance to do anything, just because we exist, and are made in His
image.
Isaiah also mentions we are dedicated to specific tasks in
the Kingdom. But, if I am not allowed to live, my specific tasks in the Kingdom
will not be accomplished. The Lord formed all of us to be His servants from the
womb. All of us have a unique task to serve the Lord and each other, no matter
if we are wanted or unwanted in the womb.
No reason will ever justify taking the life of the child in
the womb. Some may say: The mother is
poor. She can’t afford a child. We don’t
fight poverty by killing the poor. Sacrificial love demands that we generously
support mother and child. It is up to us to actively change the culture of
death into a culture of life. We can’t be shy about speaking up. We have to get
engaged in the battle for God’s most precious gift of life. If we don’t know
what to say, we can find out what to say. We can ask someone engaged in
pro-life work how to get trained. We have to let our politicians know we are
pro-life, and killing the unborn is not acceptable. It is our duty to let them
know with our voice and with our vote. Now is the time to pray and act.
Please pray for our parishioners who are traveling to
Washington for the March for Life on the 27th. We have a group of 11 brave
souls. We will brave the winter weather to give a voice to those whose voice
cannot yet be heard. We will make a small sacrifice so that others may have
life. Every year, I see the hundreds of thousands of youth, in great joy, showing
this great love, and it gives me great encouragement.
If the anniversary of Roe and Doe is on January 22nd,
why is the March for Life going to be on the 27th? The 22nd
falls on a Sunday, and the organizers of the March always make sure it happens
on a weekday when the Congress in is session. A new congress took office
earlier this month. Some have started working on pro-life legislation. And some
have started to fight it. It is up to us to let them know we are pro-life and
hold them accountable as the ones charged with protecting the public whenever
someone tries to kill the public.
Most importantly, we must always remember to pray for the
healing of those who suffer the wounds of past abortions. Many of them were
told lies. They were tempted into despair. Many of them were convinced they had
no choice, that there was no hope. The burden of regret is becoming more
well-known for both men and women. Nobody needs to carry that burden. The
Church has many excellent healing ministries. You and I can show the open arms
of the loving mercy of Jesus Christ. He will bring them to healing through us.
We can be God’s instruments of hope for the world.
Speaking of hope, it is a major theme of Ordinary Time. We
wear green vestments because green is a symbol of hope. The color reminds us of
renewal, rebirth, immortality, generosity of spirit, and eternal life. It
reminds us to focus on the One who is truly life giving. In hope we remember
that God has not abandoned us. He is active in our lives. He loves us more than
we love ourselves. He invites us into eternal life with Him.
