This Homily was given at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis before their monthly rosary walk to Planned Parenthood.
In just 9 days, we will gather to celebrate the birth of our savior. We will gather in awe to celebrate the mystery that God dared to send His only Son into the world as a defenseless child born of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As we gaze upon Jesus and our Blessed Mother in the crèche we should naturally recall that our own mothers and every mother is a co-worker with divinity. Since the soul of every child is infused by God, each mother bears what God alone can give.[1]
Yet as we gather today, we recognize that everyday women in our city make the choice to reject God’s invitation to be His co-workers and reject that call to participate in His divine work of creation. So we gather here to pray that just as the light of Christ came shinning in the darkness of the first Christmas, that same light may shine in the darkness where abortion is seen as a viable option. As we gather here this morning to pray for conversion, we also prepare to receive the Lord who will come to us in Holy Communion and we pray that His light may shine through us as we witness to the sanctity and beauty of every human life.
We just heard Jesus speak of John the Baptist and the prophet Elijah. While John the Baptist was the voice crying out in the desert,[2] it was Elijah who challenged the followers of Baal to forsake their false gods. When they refused Elijah put them to shame by pitting their imaginary gods power against that of the Lord of Hosts.[3] This morning, St. Matthew’s Gospel calls us to be both the voice crying in the desert, but also the agents that challenge our brothers and sisters to conform their wayward lives to the Lord’s will.
This call to be a prophet is not easy. John the Baptist lost his head in standing for the truth,[4] and Elijah had a price put on his head which forced him to flee.[5] Those of us, who serve as the prophets of life, know the suffering that comes with proclaiming the Gospel of life, but as we stand on the cusp of Christmas, we stand in hope with the knowledge that Jesus’ birth brings to light which can drive out every darkness. Likewise, being in the season of Advent we recall that Jesus will come again, so we push on and follow His call to be a prophet to prepare others for His coming.
My friends, the image of that Christ child in the manger compels us to act. It demands that we pray and work so that every woman recognizes in giving birth to a child she is a co-worker with God because she shares in His divine work of creation. As we prepare to welcome Jesus into the world this Christmas and into our hearts, at the Mass, we can’t afford to miss the opportunity to beg God to use us, so that women who are contemplating an abortion may turn to Him, seek His face and be saved.
[1] Fulton Sheen. The World’s First Love, Mary Mother of God. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2011. pg. 86
[2] John 1:23
[3] 1 Kings 18
[4] Mark 6:17-29
[5] 1 Kings 19:1-4
Through The Cross To Light 