Homily for the Memorial of St. Agnes
Later today, hundreds of thousands of people will be gathering in our nation’s capital for the annual March for Life. It is an opportunity for us as people of faith and as Americans to have our voices heard as we speak out against the moral evil that is abortion. Pope St. John Paul II often told us, as Catholics, that we must “stand up for life!” We must “never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception” and cannot be “deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination.” Our voices are needed now more than ever before.
In just this last year, the sanctity of human life has been threatened like never before. And it is being threatened by policies and pieces of legislation that are seeking to “protect access to reproductive health.” From a moral standpoint, abortion is not healthcare. Let’s call it for what it is. Abortion is murder. It is an intrinsic evil and a scourge on our nation’s history and it needs to be stamped out.
But we can’t just speak out against abortion. We have to be willing to put our voices into action. We have to continue to advocate for real change and progress, at the national, state, and local levels. As a Church, we have to do better to enact programs that assist pregnant mothers and to support them financially and through volunteer work. But first and foremost, our advocacy and activism start on our knees.
This morning let’s spend a few moments simply praying. Pray that the Lord forgive us as a nation for how we have allowed this evil to take place in our land. And pray that He bring about an end to abortion once and for all.
Fr. Tom Pringle 