December 12--Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Unborn

With Dobbs v. Jackson in 2022, Roe v. Wade was overturned. We rejoice that such a terrible decision has been overruled. However, many see the Dobbs decision as an attack on women and their “rights”. To that end there have been attempts to replace Roe with greater opportunities for abortion throughout the country. South Dakota, Florida, and Nebraska have rejected those attempts, thank God. But others have not.

This is where our Saint is so needed! Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe, is the Patroness of the Unborn. She spoke to St. Juan Diego Cuahtlatoatzin as the Mother of the unborn Son of God in 1531. We pray for her intercession so that we can foster love and acceptance for the unborn, who are not burdens or problems to be fixed, but children of God! Mary is our mother. We pray for everyone: the unborn, for life and love; the mother of the unborn, for hope and courage; for the abortionist, for repentance and conversion; for our society, for perseverance and justice.


Virgin of Guadalupe,
Patroness of unborn children,
we implore your intercession
for every child at risk of abortion.
Help expectant parents to welcome from God
the priceless gift of their child’s life.

Console parents who have lost that gift
through abortion,
and lead them to forgiveness and healing
through the Divine Mercy of your Son.

Teach us to cherish
and to care for family and friends
until God calls them home.
Help us never to see others as burdens.

Guide our public officials
to defend each and every human life
through just laws.
Inspire us all to bring our faith into public life,
to speak for those who have no voice.

We ask this in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ, who is Love and Mercy itself.
Amen. (USCCB)

January 30--St. Balthild, Holy Woman

St. Balthild in Chronicle of St. Denis, British Library public domain

Two grave sins that have plagued America are slavery/racism and abortion/infanticide.  But these sins are not unique to America or to our time.  Nonetheless, Christianity has sought to eliminate both these plagues on humanity.  Today's saint is one who dedicated her power to do so!

St. Balthild (or Bathildis) was a slave herself, an Anglo-Saxon from Britain sold to a court official of the the Frankish king, Clovis II, in the seventh century.  Clovis was impressed by her intelligence and skills and married her.  She beame famous for her service to others and her donations.  Two abbeys were founded due to her gifts.  She bore Clovis three sons, all of whom succeeded him as kings.  When Clovis died, she became queen regent and guided the affairs of state.  Here is where her faith became critical in helping her people come closer to God.

According to her biography:  "She ... ordained that yet another evil custom should cease, namely, that many people determined to kill their children rather than nurture them, for they feared to incur the public [taxes] that were heaped upon them by custom...."  Furthermore, "she prohibited the sale of captive Christian folk to outsiders and gave orders through all the lands that no one was to sell captive Christians within the borders of the Frankish realm.  What is more, she ordered that many captives should be ransomed, paying the price herself."

Some might say, "Not enough!"  But the point is she did what she could do!  Do we?  Do we continue to promote life for the unborn?  Do we work to eliminate racism in our society?  These are NOT contradictory efforts!  God has given us dignity by virtue of creating us in his image and likeness.  That dignity belongs to all of us, no matter what our status, location, abilities, or development!  St. Balthild, pray for us!

December 28--The Holy Innocents, Martyrs

*

“When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet:

     ‘A voice was heard in Ramah,

     sobbing and loud lamentation;

     Rachel weeping for her children,

     and she would not be consoled,

     since they were no more.’” (Mt. 2:16-18)

Why do we celebrate a day dedicated to evil and violence and the massacre of innocent babies? We commemorate what Jesus came to earth to overcome. Jesus was a near-victim of such violence, foreshadowing his own innocent death, the execution of God. Jesus defeated evil with his own Paschal Mystery. There is still evil in the world and will be until Jesus comes again with the Final Judgment.

In the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church proclaims the praises of these innocent children: “Clothed in white robes, they will walk with me, says the Lord, for they are worthy.” And, “These children cry out their praises to the Lord; by their death they have proclaimed what they could not preach with their infant voices.” And again, “From the mouths of children and babies at the breast you have found praise to foil your enemies.” And finally, “At the king’s command these innocent babies and little children were put to death; they died for Christ, and now in the glory of heaven as they follow him, the sinless Lamb, they sing for ever: Glory to you, O Lord.”

We can “celebrate” this event, not because of its evil, but because of its warning to us. The sixty million Innocents also sing to God for justice to be done and evil to be banished forever.

*https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Massacre_of_the_Innocents_by_Matteo_di_Giovanni_(1482,_Sant%27Agostino,_Siena).jpg

January 22--Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children

Today is not a feast day of the Church, but rather a day set aside for prayer. Since Roe v. Wade on January 22, 1973 over 60 million babies have been aborted. The Church allows the readings of the Mass of the day or from the “Mass for Giving Thanks to God for the Gift of Human Life” with white vestments or from the “Mass for Peace and Justice” with purple vestments.

When we give thanks to God for the gift of human life, we remember that all good is due to the graciousness of God. He loves us, each one of us; the aborted baby; the mother who is undergoing tremendous suffering and stress given that our society says it is entirely her choice to do what she wants; and the abortionist who is entirely aware of the evil act that is being committed in the name of choice. We cannot condemn the souls of those who directly take innocent life; that is not for us. We pray for them that they may come to a conversion of heart and turn back to God and repent of their evil actions.

When we pray for peace and justice, we remember that God is the just judge and we pray for the marginalized, the oppressed, the poor, the destitute. The baby is the most innocent and oppressed, but the mother may also be oppressed into getting an abortion. Does she have the support she needs to bear and raise the baby? Is the father around? Why does she feel that she has to have an abortion? Is it due to the injustices of relationships that she is in? Are her parents, or her boyfriend, or husband abusing her by pushing her into this choice? Let us work and pray for justice for all, the baby and the mother and the family.

September 8: Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

There are only three births that are celebrated in the liturgical year: Jesus’ on December 25, John the Baptist on June 24, and Mary’s on September 8, which is nine months after the celebration of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. Joy is the immediate expression we have upon the birth of any baby, but the joy of the birth of the Blessed Virgin is even more delightful. We can’t honor Mary enough for her life, her “yes” to the angel Gabriel, her faithfulness to her Son, her discipleship as the first follower of Jesus. She is the Mother of God and it is fitting that we celebrate her birthday.

Every day is somebody’s birthday! The miracle of birth is truly God’s way of giving us hope for the future. Everyone is a child of God, even those who don’t get to celebrate a birthday. According to numberofabortions.com there have been over 59 million surgical abortions in America since Roe v. Wade in 1973. According to Pharmacists for Life (pfli.org)there have been approximately 250 million babies aborted chemically since 1973 in the U.S. Plus, every embryo, that is, every human being, that has been experimented upon in the name of science and future cures for current ills has been aborted.

Mary, under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the unborn. The image left on the tilma of St. Juan Diego shows her as a pregnant woman, pregnant with the unborn Son of God. We pray that all unborn human beings be allowed to be born; that they may be accepted lovingly as gifts from God no matter the circumstances of their conceptions. That may be an appropriate birthday wish for our mother Mary. Happy birthday Mom.