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October is the month when we recall the tragic ways in which our country has turned from the Gospel of Life. These daily reflections may serve as an impetus to prayer or homiletic reflections for the month of October. The prayer for each day is drawn from Evangelium Vitae, the Holy Father's encyclical letter The Gospel of Life.
1 TWENTY-SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Reflections
Do we have our priorities straight? What is most important to us? Do we cherish the Lord above all things and the people he has given us as images of himself? Or are we caught up in the things we have? If we spend our time enthralled by the pleasures of this life we should fear the day of judgment, which "will devour your flesh like a fire." (Second Reading) If you "have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter." One of the greatest evils of our day is the sacrificing of unborn children for our passing convenience. While it is true that few women make the decision to abort a child lightly, it is to avoid the consequences of birth that we take an innocent life. The words of Saint James should haunt us today: "You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance."
Jesus warns us today to make right choices, lest we "be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'" We can avoid the hell of Gehenna only by choosing life: choosing to love the innocent, to protect the unborn and to cherish the life, the love, and the way of God before all else ... even the pleasures of this life!
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
You are the author of the Gospel of Life,
through you all things were made.
In every age and culture,
give your Church the grace of fidelity
to rejoice at the birth of each child
as she received the gift of salvation
from the arms of the Virgin Mary
in a manger in Bethlehem.
For you are the source of our joy,
living and reigning,
one God, forever and ever. Amen.
Intercessions for Life
That God will grant wisdom to those who govern us,
and compassion and courage
to those who work to defend human life;
We pray to the Lord:
For the grace to trust in God alone,
that he who formed us in our mothers' wombs,
may guide us as we live our lives on earth;
We pray to the Lord:
For judges who struggle with justice,
and lawyers who seek to speak truth;
We pray to the Lord:
2 Monday The Guardian Angels
Reflections
Do you remember the prayer so many learned as a little child: "Angel of God, my guardian dear...ever this day be at my side, to light and guard, to rule and guide?" God sends a guardian angel to us out of love for each of us. Even the little child in his mother's womb is guarded by an angel. As his parents struggle over choices which will affect his life, that angel looks on. As his mother makes choices which will affect his life, that angel looks on. As we make decisions which will affect his life, that angel looks on. Let us pray to God to send many angels to be with the littlest and most innocent among us, to light their way, to guard them from harm, to shepherd them in God's ways and guide them in the paths of life.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ,
you came that we might have life
and have it abundantly (Jn 10:10)
Give us that new and eternal life
which is communion with the Father,
forever with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit.
3 Tuesday
Reflections
A short phrase at the beginning of today's Gospel should not be missed. It tell us that Jesus "resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem." He was determined to go to Jerusalem, because he knew that it was there that he must suffer and die. Jesus wanted to go to Jerusalem because he wanted to fulfill the Father's will, even if it caused him to suffer. Are we so ready to take up our cross? When others would laugh at us because we believe in the Gospel of Life, do we stay quiet, or are we resolutely determined to accept God's will for us?
Prayer
Father,
you call us to share your life,
to a supernatural vocation.
Open our hearts to the inestimable value of human life
and bring our lives to fulfillment
in the eternity of your promise,
through Christ our Lord.
4 Wednesday Saint Francis of Assisi
Reflections
Is there any more beloved saint than Saint Francis? His gentleness, his love and quiet respect for all of God's creation are a wonderful lesson for those who seek to live the Gospel of Life. Yet it is interesting to recall that we have few of Francis' actual words. It was not what he said or what he wrote which has changed human hearts, but who he was. He became the Gospel lived out. May we do the same, and always recall it is who we are which preaches more loudly than what we say!
Prayer
Father,
hear the cries of every human heart,
and plant deep within them,
an echo of your love and truth,
that in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties,
each person may cherish the Gospel of Life
as your law, written on their hearts (cf. Rom 2:14-15),
affirming the goodness of every human being.
We ask this though Christ our Lord.
5 Thursday
Reflections
Jesus appointed seventy-two disciples to go out to preach the Gospel. He sent them "like lambs among wolves." He also gave them advice as to how to preach the Gospel. To every household they were to wish peace. Be satisfied with what the journey provides and say over and over again: "The kingdom of God is at hand for you." That's the way we are to preach the Gospel of Life. Never with resentment, never with arrogance, never with anger. Always with the patience, the hope, and most of all, the love of the Good Shepherd who has sent us "like lambs among wolves."
Prayer
Father,
by the mystery of the Word of God made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14)
you have entrusted every human being
to the maternal care of the Church.
Give your Church the wisdom and the strength
to defend each human person
from the threats to their dignity and life.
May we proclaim the Gospel of life
to every living creature (cf. Mk 16:15).
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
6 Friday Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher
Reflections
Today we celebrate the feast of Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher. One of eleven children, she was drawn to the religious life, but turned away due to frail health. So she became a housekeeper for her brother, a priest. She was not a likely candidate for heroic sainthood. But God chose this unlikely woman to found one of the great religious communities of Canada and through her to accomplish the evangelization needed in the nineteenth century. She is a great lesson to us that God often chooses those who are sick or weak or forgotten to accomplish the greatest miracles. That unwanted child in the womb, that old man on his death bed, that frail person suffering from an awful disease are children of God through whom he can transform and renew this world!
Prayer
Lord of Life,
and source of all truth,
so many human lives
still to be born
have been taken by our nation.
Help us to distinguish between good and evil
and to cherish the basic value of human life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
7 Saturday Our Lady of the Rosary
Reflections
We celebrate today's feast because we believe in the power of prayer. Over and over we ask Mary to pray for us "now and at the hour of our death." How many rosaries have been prayed in front of abortion clinics, at the beds of those who are about to die, or by those who have sought to besiege heaven with prayers for life. The rosary may well be the prayer for life, as Mary is the mother of him through whom all things were made.
Prayer
God of justice and compassion,
give us the courage to speak out
on behalf of those who have no voice.
Give to the Church the evangelical cry in defense of the poor,
all who are threatened and despised
and those whose human rights are violated.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
8 TWENTY-SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Reflections
"What God has joined together, no human being must separate." It is God's law, in marriage and in life, which Christ preaches even over the limitations of human convention and convenience. And right after Jesus teaches the law of marriage, we are told that people "were bringing children to him that he might touch them." May the Church and all her members imitate her Lord, that every child be embraced and protected, "for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
Prayer
God our Savior,
strength of the weak
and guardian of the defenseless,
Hear our prayer on behalf of all unborn children.
May their fundamental right to life be safeguarded.
Give your Church the voice to defend them
and to speak out against all forms of injustice and oppression.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Intercessions for Life
For all new mothers,
especially those who are alone,
that they may know the strength of the Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:
For all expectant mothers who suffer from addiction,
that through our love and support,
God may save them
and preserve the lives of their children;
We pray to the Lord:
For the judges of our Supreme Court,
and those who argue before them,
for wisdom and a love for the truth;
We pray to the Lord:
9 Monday
Reflections
Saint John Leonardi made a good living as a pharmacist's assistant in Lucca. Then he left all that and was ordained a priest. A brilliant man, he could have chosen many ways to live out his priesthood, but his love was always for hospital patients and prisoners. His love for those forgotten by the rest of the world led him to become one of the great reformers of religious life in the nineteenth century. He teaches us that it is through a love for those who are weakest that we can do the greatest things!
Prayer
All powerful God,
source of all unity,
inspire your Church with genuine friendship towards all,
that through a communion of truth
the consciences of all the world might be enlightened
and strengthened to be steadfast
in faithfulness to the Gospel of Life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
10 Tuesday
Reflections
Jonah had done everything he could to avoid the Lord's command to preach his message. He was sure they would ignore him. Yet all he had to do was what God told him, simply announce: "Forty days more and Nineveh shall be destroyed" and immediately "the people of Nineveh believed God; they proclaimed a fast and all of them, great and small, put on sackcloth." Here's a good example for us to remember the next time we refuse to announce (out loud) the Gospel of Life, because we're afraid they won't hear us. Indeed, they won't hear us, but they will hear God.
Prayer
All powerful God,
protect us from the ways of the evil one,
the one who "was a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44).
May our actions in defense of life
stop the spread of evil
and man's revolt against God.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
11 Wednesday
Reflections
Even when the people of Nineveh had converted, we are told that "Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry that God did not carry out the evil threatened against Nineveh." Even when we preach the Gospel of Life, we are subject to pride. Pride which makes us seem "better" than those to whom we are preaching. Pride which wants to "punish" all who don't believe the truth God has given us the grace to see.
He prayed, "I beseech you, LORD ... please take my life from me." But if we are disciples of the truth, we will put on humility and like the Lord who made us, we will be "slow to anger, rich in clemency, loathe to punish."
Prayer
God of all goodness,
bestow your grace upon us,
that all violence against human life may end.
Be with all children, Lord,
especially those forced into poverty, malnutrition and hunger
because of an unjust distribution of resources
between peoples and between social classes.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
12 Thursday
Reflections
The prophet Malachi hears God say: "I will have compassion on them, as parents have compassion on their children who serve them." The work of the respect life movement is to soften the hearts of parents who have forgotten their children and bring compassion to a nation sometimes driven solely by self-interest and the quest for pleasure. The image of a mother cradling her child at the breast warms the heart of every human being. May our "movement" do whatever we can to kindle the warmth of such love and compassion. For such is the compassion of God.
Prayer
Father of the human heart,
plant deep within us a love for human life.
Purify our consciences
of all which obscures our sight,
and leads us to tolerate
a culture of death.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
13 Friday
Reflections
"Proclaim a fast, call an assembly; gather the elders . . . and cry to the LORD!" The fast proclaimed in the Book of the Prophet Joel reminds us that it is only by prayer and fasting that true evil can be rooted out. First, the evil must be rooted out of our own hearts. Then, once we've taken the log out of our own eye, we can take the sliver out of our brother's eye! May prayer, fasting and humble service be the primary tools we use to foster the Gospel of Life amidst a pervasive culture of death.
Prayer
Lord of all creation,
give to all parents a love of their unborn child.
Enable them to strengthen and nourish their child
from the first moment of conception.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
14 Saturday Saint Callistus I
Reflections
Saint Callistus began life as a slave and ended as a martyr. In the beginning, his life was not his own. He was forced into servitude. In the end, his life was not his own. He gave it freely to God. At hard labor in the mines of Sardinia, life must have seemed impossible to young Callistus. But he came to know that life was a gift from God to be accepted and lived to the full. Thus, through years of suffering, he came to so love God that he freely became God's slave, giving out of love what had once been taken from him in hate.
Prayer
God of all ages,
hear our prayer for all who are old,
and especially those who are incurably ill or dying.
Give them the strength to accept their suffering,
and help us to cherish and sustain their lives.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
15 TWENTY-EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Reflections
How do I count the days of my life? Do I count how much money I make? Do I add up the pleasures I feel? Do I enumerate the power I've acquired?
The Psalmist asks God to teach us to number our days aright. This is wisdom: to count the daybreaks as manifestations of God's kindness. To see each blessing as a reminder that he has delivered us from evil. To see even our work as a daily participation in his divine life.
For it is only when we rejoice in each moment of the life that God has given us that we can understand the command Jesus reminds us of in the Gospel.
First among these is the commandment "You shall not kill." It is a clear and unambiguous command. From conception to natural death, you shall not kill. Though the scan shows the child in your womb is severely handicapped, you shall not kill. Though the pregnancy was not planned, you shall not kill. Though the old man is sick and crying out in pain, you shall not kill. Though he begs you to inject him with a deadly drug, you shall not kill. Though the criminal has killed three or thirty innocent people, you shall not kill. The command is clear and unambiguous: you shall not kill.
Prayer
God of peace,
hear our prayers for all who are sick,
for all who cry out in pain.
Deliver them from anguish and desperation.
Guide their families,
and through their frailty
teach us the meaning of human life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Intercessions for Life
For all young mothers who are afraid,
that they may find peace
in defending the Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:
For all who work to defend life,
that their love for the child in the womb,
may change unjust laws,
and help all to live the Gospel of Life;
We pray to the Lord:
For all victims of abortion,
especially those whose memories cause them to cry,
for healing, mercy and perfect peace;
We pray to the Lord.
16 Monday Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque
Reflections
And what of Margaret? Poor little thing! She'll never amount to anything! Her father died when she was in first grade and she soon took to bed with rheumatic fever for five years! Poor child! It would be best if God would just relieve her of her misery and take her now! So must some of the foolish people of Burgundy have said of Margaret Mary. But God had other things in store for her. The great saint of the Sacred Heart of Jesus would never have carried out God's great work had she not overcome the pains that others saw as impediments, but which God used as stepping stones to his will! And what of the handicapped or forgotten child in the womb? The murderer on death row or the woman with terminal cancer in the nursing home? Can God work any less through them? All life is sacred and of infinite value, even the life of a sick little orphan for whom he has great plans!
Prayer
God of wisdom and life,
look upon us in our weakness,
hear our foolish pride,
the sin which deludes us to think
that we are the masters of life and death.
Give us compassion for all who are sick,
compassion for the suffering,
and humble acceptance of your will.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
17 Tuesday Saint Ignatius of Antioch
Reflections
The death of Saint Ignatius of Antioch is told in one of the most moving accounts of martyrdom. By his death, Saint Ignatius taught us the true value of life. Saint Ignatius knew that life is a precious gift, entrusted to us by God. When freely given in the model of Christ Jesus and in fulfillment of his will, God gives to us the gift of eternal life. When life is taken not in fulfillment of God's will, but out of selfishness, the fruits are not eternal life, but sin and death.
Prayer
Omnipotent God,
hear the prayer of those who have suffered,
the ravages of war, cruelty and violence.
Protect us against falsehood and false teachers
whose words foster a "conspiracy against life."
Give us the strength of the truth,
purity of heart
and a constant longing for you.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
18 Wednesday Saint Luke
Reflections
Saint Luke tells us more about the birth of Christ than any of the other evangelists. His Gospel thus proclaims that God so loved us that he gave us his only Son to be a man like us, to feel the pains and the joys of being human. Whenever we are tempted to sin against the Gospel of Life, let us call to mind that the Son of the Eternal God did not hesitate to suffer and die in order that we might be saved from sin and death.
Prayer
Omniscient Lord,
you alone know the designs of the human heart.
Hear our prayers for all who are tempted
to embrace the culture of death.
Purify them of selfishness and fear,
and give to them the freedom of the children of God.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
19 Thursday Saint Isaac Jogues and John de Brébeuf and their companions
Reflections
Saint Isaac Jogues wanted to proclaim the Gospel more than life itself. He placed his life in God's hands and entrusted to the Lord who gave him every hope, joy, sorrow and pain of each day. May we never seek to be the masters of our fate, but open our hearts and our lives to the proclamation of the Gospel of Life! Saint Isaac, pray for us!
Prayer
God of wisdom,
you are the source of all truth.
Give us the grace to know what is right,
to do what is right
and to treasure the gift of life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
20 Friday Saint Paul of the Cross
Reflections
Saint Paul consecrated his life to the cross of Christ, for he understood that the cross stood at the center and pinnacle of human history as the source and summit of human life. May we derive from the cross the grace to know God's will for us and the strength to do it.
Prayer
Lord,
without you we are nothing.
We have wandered far from you
poisoned by the stain of selfishness and sin.
Open our hearts to the wonders of your love for us
and the dignity with which you have signed our lives.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
21 Saturday
Reflections
The life of an advocate for the Gospel of Life is not easy. They will talk about you, sneer at you and utter all kinds of awful things about you. But hear Jesus' counsel in today's Gospel: Do not worry about what you are to say. Dwell in the Holy Spirit of God and he will give you the words and the strength to do his will.
Prayer
Lord of all the ages,
look upon us in our weakness.
Free us from the selfishness
which seeks to control and manipulate life
to our own ends and pleasures.
Give us the grace
to embrace your gift of life
as you have given it to us
though Christ our Lord.
22 TWENTY-NINTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Reflections
James and John were bold in their request. They asked Jesus to give them front seats in the kingdom of heaven. And Jesus' response was equally as bold. He told them, yes, you can have the front seats if you will drink of the cup I will drink. What cup is he describing? Jesus is speaking of the cup of the suffering servant. He who was crushed in his infirmity, giving his life as an offering for sin, that the will of the LORD might be accomplished through him. If James and John could drink of this cup, they will be with him in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus is telling us that without suffering, we will never know the meaning of life. Indeed, to follow Christ, the suffering servant, we must be willing to be suffering servants and (in the words of Jesus) slaves to all! May we recognize the value of suffering in our lives and in the lives of others. May we not seek so much to anesthetize the pains of this world, but to gain from them the strength to cling to the cross of Christ and join our suffering to his.
Prayer
God of all compassion,
you know the sufferings of the human condition,
and the burdens of human life.
Through the cross of your only Son,
help us to accept our sufferings
and through them to grow closer to you,
for you are God, for ever and ever.
Intercessions for Life
For nurses who love little babies,
For those whose work
allows them to first hear the heartbeat;
We pray to the Lord:
For parents when they first feel a kick,
and for all who protect defenseless life;
We pray to the Lord:
23 Monday Saint John of Capistrano
Reflections
All those storage bins! The seemingly wise rich man took all his profits and stuffed them into storage bins so he would be ready to enjoy them for years. But little did he know that life is not what you put in your storage bins, it's about love, and life and truth. Saint John of Capistrano knew that. A lawyer, and the patron saint of judges, Saint John worked for the defense of those whom everyone else had forgotten. He stood for the truth and for the Gospel. May each of us, and especially those who work in our courts, follow his good example.
Prayer
Heavenly Father,
in the blood of Christ,
you reveal the grandeur of your love.
Give us a passion
for the priceless value of life.
You have ransomed us from the ways of futility,
give us new understanding
of the dignity of every human being.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
24 Tuesday Saint Anthony Mary Claret
Reflections
Like so many saints, Saint Anthony knew what he wanted at an early age. He wanted to be a Jesuit priest. But like so many saints, God had other plans for him. So when Saint Anthony became sick as a young man, he had to change the course he would have plotted, and seek only the incredible adventure which God had in mind for him. So it is with each of us. We must seek the way of God. For it is he who gave us life, and he who wills us to live it to the glory of his name and the salvation of all mankind.
Prayer
God beyond all time,
you know and love every minute of our lives.
Bless those whose daily gestures of openness,
sacrifice and unselfish care
show your love to families, hospitals, orphanages,
and homes for the elderly.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
25 Wednesday
Reflections
Are you ready for the master to return? To each of us he has given a life and talents. Have I used my life to seek out pleasures and riches and the empty joys of this world? Am I convinced that the Lord is delayed in coming, so I might as well live by my own rules for now? If so, today's Gospel is a strong warning. Take the life you have been given, cherish it, respect it and use it for the glory of God. For even the servant "ignorant of his master's will" will be punished.
Prayer
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
from the side of your son,
blood and water flowed
in love for the world.
Through the merits of his glorious passion,
may we cherish the life he won for us,
We ask this through the same Christ our Lord.
26 Thursday
Reflections
For those who believe in Christ and his Gospel of Life, God is the source of all unity. For those who embrace the culture of death, the Gospel is the source of division. All other goods, be they family, friends, possessions and even our very selves, are secondary to Christ and his Gospel. Nothing can be allowed to come between us and the Gospel of Life.
Prayer
Merciful Father,
hear our prayer for all involved
in the death of an aborted child.
Help us to lead fathers, doctors
and all stained by sin home to your merciful love.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
27 Friday
Reflections
We often read the signs of the time. Then why are we so slow to accept the Gospel of Life? Today's Gospel reminds us that someday we will be judged by the Lord. What will we answer when he asks us whether we have loved him in the child, the prisoner and those who have grown weak and old?
Prayer
Just, Omnipotent God,
source of all justice and truth.
Give to all who govern us
the wisdom and strength
to defend the life you have given us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
28 Saturday Saints Simon and Jude
Reflections
The Church is built on a strong foundation: twelve foundation stones, martyrs each one of them. The apostles not only walked and talked with Jesus, but were joined to his cross in the manner of their death as well. They knew that to walk with him was the only way to life and to truth. May we follow their example, embracing the life God has given us and living out the truth of the Gospel of Life.
Prayer
Just, Omnipotent God,
source of all justice and truth.
Give to all who govern us
the wisdom and strength
to defend the life you have given us.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
29 THIRTIETH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
Reflections
Through the prophet Jeremiah, the Lord promises to gather from the ends of the world all who departed in tears, including the blind and those with child. He will console them and guide them and lead them to brooks of water, by roads on which none shall stumble.
So many have suffered from the violence so brutally present in our society today. Pope John Paul II has called it a "culture of death." Babies whose lives were taken by parents whose hearts are still scarred by what they did. The old and the sick warehoused and forgotten, stripped of dignity and sometimes even their lives. Innocent men and women imprisoned and threatened with death, sometimes proven innocent years after their incarceration. So many wounds crying out for healing. But God promises to lead us home from the nightmare of our own sins. If we but return to him, all our sins will be forgiven. With the gift of repentance, the words of today's Psalm will be ours: Our mouths will be filled with laughter, for we who sowed in tears shall reap rejoicing!
Jesus tells us about that gift of repentance in today's Gospel. The blind man is healed not just from his physical blindness, for it was his faith which saved him. He chose not to dwell in darkness any longer, so he called out, not just once, but twice, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me!" Christ's response to the blind man is his response to every person wounded by the sin of abortion: "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you."
May each woman who has aborted her child, each father who has helped in procuring an abortion, each doctor or nurse or legislator or judge who has aided another in taking the life of a child repent, turn to Christ and begin the healing which only repentance can bring.
Prayer
Lord of all creation,
hear our prayer for all who contemplate
ending their life through suicide.
May we provide unwavering support
for those struggling with pain or disease,
and promote the Gospel of Life
by all we do and say.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Intercessions for Life
For members of Congress,
for the President, Vice-President and Cabinet,
for judges and justices,
and citizens of our country,
that all make seek truth and true justice
for all vulnerable human beings;
We pray to the Lord:
For all doctors who love life and truth,
For residents, surgeons
and all who seek to defend the child in the womb;
We pray to the Lord:
30 Monday
Reflections
The woman was old and had been crippled for eighteen years. Imagine how many must have given up on her! And when she sought to be healed by Jesus, imagine how they must have laughed at her! You're an old woman! You're a cripple and always have been! Give up!!! But there is no giving up in the Gospel of Life. Every life is of infinite worth and inestimable dignity. And God who "chooses the weak and makes them strong in Christ," can use the life of even the weakest and the smallest of us to the glory of his name.
Prayer
God of wonder,
give us the grace of gratitude for the gift of life
that we may welcome, savor and share
the beauty of the Gospel of Life
through Christ our Risen Lord.
31 Tuesday
Reflections
A mustard seed is so very small. To look at it you would never guess it is the beginning of an enormous bush. A child just conceived is equally as tiny. To look at that tiny embryo, you'd never guess it is a human being. But there's a difference, even between a mustard seed and the tiny embryo. The mustard seed is a seed. The embryo, from the moment of conception, is given the wondrous gift of human life. May we do all in our power to preserve and protect that tiny life, that she may grow in God's sight as a child of God!
Prayer
Lord,
give to the members of our parish,
a dedication to building
a culture of life.
May all who take an active part in the life of the Church
grow in their appreciation for the basic issues of human life.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.