God our creator,
we give thanks to you,
who alone have the power to impart the breath of life
as you form each of us in our mother’s womb;
grant, we pray ,
that we, whom you have made stewards of creation,
may remain faithful to this sacred trust
and constant in safeguarding the dignity of every human life.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.
 

            January 22^nd is the anniversary of the decision in the case of Roe v. Wade which legalized abortion in 1973. Since that time nearly 60,000,000 babies have been aborted in the U.S. On average in America each day 12,342.8 babies are born and about 3,500 are murdered.
           
            At all stages, life is sacred. From the moment of conception until natural death, life is sacred. A gift from God, life at any stage is not ours to take, and for that matter, it is not ours to manipulate either. Any unnatural means to achieve life is also a grave sin against God, “who alone has the power to impart life.” Yet whenever life is achieved, when a baby is conceived, in no matter what circumstance, God has endowed that little one with an immortal soul, and its life is precious.
 
LORD, you have searched me, you know me: you know when I sit and stand; you understand my thoughts from afar…You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb. I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.
Psalm 139:1-2, 13-14
 
Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. Jeremiah 1:5
 
A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly. John 10:10
 
            Tomorrow (Jan 23^rd) is a day of penance for sins against life. Through our prayer and penance we can make reparation for the sins committed against the sanctity of life each day in our country. For the daily Mass all around the country the Mass celebrated will be, for giving thanks to God for the gift of life. In the new Roman Missal this Mass was added to the American edition. The prayer at the top is the Collect/opening prayer which was crafted for this Mass. It wonderfully expresses the truth of who we are in relationship to God. Please pray with the Church for the respect of life at all stages, and on this day, especially for the end of abortion. Join the Church throughout the country tomorrow in offering penance and sacrifice for all the sins committed against the precious gift of life. United as one in the Body of Christ, the Church, we cry out to our Father in heaven.
 
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, pray for us.
 
Fr. Jack D. Shrum