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4th -- FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
That every expectant mother may await her hour of delivery
in faith and hope as a partner in God's creation,
cherishing the child in her womb with maternal love,
we pray to the Lord:
11th -- SIXTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME -- WORLD DAY OF THE SICK
For all who are ill, that they may accept their suffering
and see in it an invitation to join in the perfect sacrifice of Christ
for the salvation of the whole world,
we pray to the Lord:
18th -- SEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
For an end to the cycle of violence and retribution
which fosters a sense of revenge in our penal system,
especially in the application of the death penalty,
we pray to the Lord:
25th -- EIGHTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
For a renewed respect for the life of disabled persons
as fully deserving of human respect,
derived from their creation in the image and likeness of God,
we pray to the Lord:
Bulletin Briefs
A culture which no longer has a point of reference in God loses its soul and loses its way, becoming a culture of death.
Human life cannot be seen as an object to do with as we please, but as the most sacred and inviolable earthly reality. There can be no peace when this most basic good is not protected. It is not possible to invoke peace and despise life.
Our own times have seen shining examples of generosity and dedication in the service of life, but also the sad sight of hundreds of millions of men and women whom cruelty and indifference have consigned to a painful and harsh destiny. I am speaking of a tragic spiral of death which includes murder, suicide, abortion, euthanasia, as well as practices of mutilation, physical and psychological torture, forms of unjust coercion, arbitrary imprisonment, unnecessary recourse to the death penalty, deportations, slavery, prostitution, trafficking in women and children.
To this list [of acts within the current spiral of death] we must add irresponsible practices of genetic engineering, such as cloning, and use of embryos for research, which are justified by an illegitimate appeal to freedom, to cultural progress, to the advancement of mankind. When the weakest and most vulnerable members of society are subjected to such atrocities, the very idea of the human family, built on the value of the person, on trust, respect and mutual support, is dangerously eroded. A civilization based on love and peace must oppose these experiments, which are unworthy of man.