Preaching on abortion, 22nd Sunday, Year C, Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life

Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, reflects on the Sunday readings for the 22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year C and their message about abortion.

For more information about what the Sunday readings, and the whole Bible, say about abortion, and for resources for your Church, see https://www.ProLifePreaching.org. You can order there the book “Proclaiming the Message of Life,” which contains these reflections for all the Sunday readings in the lectionary.

Sir 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
Heb 12:18-19, 22-24a
Lk 14:1, 7-14

Being pro-life is really all about the humility of which today’s first reading and Gospel speak. Humility allows us to see each other and ourselves honestly, as neither more nor less than what we are. Because we see the worth of our own lives and those of our neighbors, we are not led by pride to either oppress or ignore those lives. Rather, humility leads us to serve those lives. Humility keeps us from being fooled by appearances, and led to pay more attention to those who are more rich, famous, or powerful. Instead, we respect and serve the small and lowly. We don’t determine their value, and neither does the law.

“When you have a reception, invite beggars and the crippled, the lame and the blind. You should be pleased that they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid in the resurrection of the just.” Here, Jesus urges us to have “eschatological realism.” We are to evaluate today’s choices in the light of what will happen on the last day. This applies perfectly to our service of the unborn. Of anyone we can serve, they are the least able to repay us, or even to know of our efforts on their behalf. Doing the work of the pro-life movement is the most selfless of all kinds of love, for we are loving those who cannot love us back.

Moreover, we are loving those whom today’s psalm calls the forsaken. We are imitating God, “the father of orphans,” who “gives a home to the forsaken and leads forth prisoners to prosperity.”