The Christmas season has ended, and we’ve returned for the
time being to the green vestments, signaling our observance of Ordinary Time.
So for a few weeks, before the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday, March 6, we
observe Ordinary Time. Now, when we say
“Ordinary Time” we don’t mean that things are boring or that there is nothing
extraordinary going on. Ordinary
Christian life is to be quite an adventure in itself. So during this season, we focus on the
adventure of ordinary Christian life.
This week there are a couple extraordinary things going
on. Firstly, every year, in the week
preceding the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul on January 25, we observe a
week of prayer for Christian Unity.
So, this week, Catholics around the world are to unite in prayer,
not so much for unity among Catholics, but for unity among all Christians,
whether they are orthodox, or protestant or Catholic. The Lord prayed on the night before he died
for the unity of his followers. Modeling
our own prayer after his, we pray this week for a healing of our
divisions. There are about 2 billion
Christians, about 1.1 billion of those are Catholics and the rest are of other
Christian communities: they are not united with us and we are not united with
them. There are many divisions over the
interpretation of Scripture, over moral issues, over the structure of the
Church and matters of doctrine.
We of course need to pray for the grace to love one
another. That hasn’t always been the
case: protestants have persecuted Catholics, and Catholics, scandalously have
persecuted Protestants. There is still
some hostility in some places of the world between Catholics and Orthodox. This is a scandal. If we cannot love one another, how can we
show to the world, that Christianity is the True Faith—that the Church is God’s
instrument of peace and salvation?
Yet, we not only pray for unity in our hearts, but unity of
mind. That we may “put on the mind of
Christ Jesus” in rightly believing what the Lord wants us to believe. That only 30% of Christians go to Church on
the Lord’s Day is a scandal. That the
divorce rate among Christians is the same as our national divorce rate is a
scandal. That certain groups of
Christians support same-sex marriage and abortion is a scandal. So we are to work and pray for unity of
faith, of right belief.
So, please, please pray this week for unity among
Christians, for the ability to love and faithfulness to the Gospel of Life.
Another extraordinary thing, just this week, is that over
half a million people will gather in our nation’s capital, for a March for
Life. Wednesday, January 22 is the
anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision which legalized abortion.
Since the Roe vs. Wade decision in 1973, there have been
over 50 million abortions, a crime against life which cries out to heaven. As Catholics, we are committed to defending
human life, providing support for women who are being pressured into abortion,
and mercy and care for women who have.
This week, Pope Francis from Rome disparaged of our culture’s
attitude of treating unborn children as easily discarded commodities. He said, “unfortunately, what is thrown away
is not only food and dispensable objects, but human beings themselves, who are
discarded as unnecessary. It is
frightful,” he said, “even to think there are children, victims of abortion,
who will never see the light of day.”
You may have seen this in the news. One of the Bishops leading a group of the
faithful at the March For Life is being called the unaborted Bishop. 45 years ago, his mother was being pressured
by her doctor to have an abortion because of possible birth defects. Doctor’s told her that her son would be a
freak. She and her husband chose life.
How many priests and nuns and bishops and geniuses and
saints never saw the light of day? Over 50 million! That’s more babies than the
entire population of Canada!
And this Wednesday, over a half a million people will gather together, not just Catholics, but
Proestants and Orthodox as well. What a
great act of Christian unity, yes? And not
only Christians, Jews and Buddhists, and Muslims standing together to witness
to the dignity of life.
Yet witnessing to life isn’t just for once a year. I am so
amazed and inspired by those who week after week gather to pray in front of our
own local abortion clinics, often in freezing weather, to pray for the
conversion of hearts which will save the endangered child. These warriors for life would be happy to be
joined by you!
Also, on Wednesday, there will be a special Mass for Life at
our diocesan Cathedral at 7pm with Bishop Lennon, to pray for the unborn and
for life. Please unite your prayers and
penances on Wednesday with all those who pray for life.
In the first reading we heard the Lord speaking through
Isaiah the prophet telling Israel that it is not enough that you are called a
servant of the Lord, you are to be a light to all nations. It is not enough for us privately hold our
beliefs, but we are to be a light in our community to shine with the truth and
light of Jesus Chris—that he may be known, seen, and experienced.
The Lord calls ordinary people to do extraordinary
things. That call, the call to
holiness, is anything but ordinary. We
must not undervalue our faithful witness, and the power of our prayers.
May we be extremely mindful this week of those moments which
the Lord gives us to witness to the Gospel of Life, the truth which sets us
free; ordinary moments in which the Lord calls us to speak extraordinary truth,
and to love with extraordinary charity, for the glory of God and salvation of
souls.
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