Preaching on abortion, 25th Sunday, Year A, Pro-Life Leader Frank Pavone of Priests for Life

Frank Pavone, National Director of Priests for Life, reflects on the Sunday readings for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A 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.

Is 55:6-9
Phil 1:20c-24, 27a
Mt 20:1-16a

The contrast God indicates between his way of thinking and ours (First reading) is exemplified in the Gospel passage, where the landowner’s (the Lord’s) generosity to those who started late astonishes those who worked all day. Those who come late to the Kingdom of God (the Gentiles, and those yet in our midst who are far off) can still enjoy its full benefits.

The emphasis on “thinking right” that these readings convey goes to the heart of repentance. “Metanoia” is a change of “mind”, of “thinking.” Elsewhere, Paul writes that “we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5).

This is at the core of the battle between the Culture of death and the Culture of Life. John Paul II in Evangelium Vitae 8 writes, “At the root of every act of violence against one's neighbor there is a concession to the "thinking" of the evil one, the one who "was a murderer from the beginning" (Jn 8:44). As the Apostle John reminds us: "For this is the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother" (1 Jn 3:11-12).”

Either life has priority over choice, or choice can be used to destroy life. But both ways of thinking cannot co-exist, and when one thinks according to the Culture of death, a true “metanoia” is needed, in which one heeds what the Lord says in today’s first reading, and recognizes the need to begin thinking God’s way about the relationship between life and choice.

The readings also put a strong emphasis on mercy and forgiveness, themes that always accompany our teaching about abortion, and impel us to invite to reconciliation those who have been far from the Church because of past involvement with abortion. Not only do we invite them to reconciliation, but we invite the rest of our people to think in God’s way about those who have had abortions, that is, not with thoughts of condemnation or punishment, but with eagerness to welcome and console.