HOMILY FOR RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY--27TH SUNDAY OF ORDINARY TIME

 

RESPECT LIFE SUNDAY--10/2/11

27TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

    By Msgr. Eric R. Barr, STL

 

READINGS: IS 5:1-7; PHIL 4:6-9; MT 21: 33-43

I. Don't Touch That Apple!

A. Remember when you were a kid and tried to pick an apple from a tree? You'd always go for the best looking one. But sometimes, when you bit into it, you found that as beautiful as it looked on the outside, inside it was full of worms and rot? I want you to think about that image as we go back to the Garden of Eden.

B. There Adam and Eve were in Paradise. They had one command only: not to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. It was the only command given to them by God, and to disobey it meant that Adam and Eve would be thinking of making themselves Gods. But the serpent told the pair that the apples on that tree looked so good, and if they ate them, they would be gods too. And Adam and Eve reached out and took those shiny apples that looked so beautiful, bit into them, and found that inside they were full of worms and rot--the rot of sin, the worms of death. Why? Because that fruit was not meant for them. Satan tempted them and they twisted their goodness--they weren't reaching for knowledge--they were trying to take the place of God. They reached for godhood for themselves and what happened? God was shocked and angry, and the angel Gabriel came and threw them out of the Garden of Eden into the world where death and sickness waited.

C. We wonder how they could be so stupid, setting themselves up like gods. Such pride and arrogance we think. Yet, humanity is committing the same sin today. We are reaching for the same apples, and yet the tree is named differently---some call it the Tree of Freedom, some call it the Tree of Choice--but whatever you call it, those apples aren't for us. When we try to grab them, we commit the sin of Adam and Eve all over again.

D. We see the shiny fruit of freedom. We think if we take it we can do anything we want, whenever we want. We think we can let others choose to do whatever they want. Pluck that apple of freedom, that apple of choice from that tree and bite into it and all you will get is death. True freedom means doing what is right and true. What we are reaching for is not true freedom--it's choice we want--the ability to do whatever we want. As a society, we've committed the sin of Adam and Eve all over again. We've become jungle creatures, preying on the weak. We dispose of the unborn, the almost born, the weak and the sick, the old and defenseless.

E. Just like shiny apples with diseased insides, we construct shiny packages within which to hide the worms and rot of the reality we have chosen. No one actually says, "Let's kill babies." We package the reality that abortion kills human life inside a nice looking shell of choice--it's the woman's choice, it's a personal decision, where's your compassion." No one actually says, "Let's kill the old." Instead, we say, "Let's let them make their own decision, why should they suffer, aren't you merciful." No one actually says, "Let’s murder the sick." Instead, we say, "Ah, their quality of life is poor; they should be able to end their suffering, or if they cannot make that decision, we should make it for them." No one says, "Let’s destroy human life." Instead they say, "These stem cells can help others who are really sick." And yet, however we package that reality, the young and the old are murdered. We take life so that we will be comfortable. As Cardinal George says, "We kill so that we can be free." [Talk about euthanasia packs available in Belgium; the belief by some in this country that it is okay to kill children with Down’s syndrome; etc]

II. Ignoring the Obvious

A. Pope John Paul II has said, "We are facing an enormous and dramatic clash between good and evil, death and life, the 'culture of death' and the 'culture of life.' We find ourselves not only 'faced with' but necessarily 'in the midst of' this conflict: we are all involved and we all share in it, with the inescapable responsibility of choosing to be unconditionally pro-life." We are Catholic--we must speak. Stay with me now as I talk with you about some difficult things, but things we must face.

B. We use the "choice" defense to make it all seem right. "I wouldn't do this, but if you want to it's OK." And with that kind of sugar coating, we allow horrendous evil to occur. We set ourselves up as gods over life and death. You know, back in Germany before WWII, Hitler never said, "Let's kill the Jews, let's kill the Poles, let's kill the Czechs and Hungarians." Hitler said, "Wir erfordern den lebensraum! We need living space." And the people said, "Sounds like a good idea!" That shiny sugar coating allowed the people to avert their eyes as Hitler invaded Poland, Czechoslovakia, and set up concentration camps to gas the Jews and other people he thought undesirable. Death is death, even if it is wrapped up in a shiny package. A holocaust is a holocaust, whether Jews, the unborn, the old, or the sick are the victims. Why are we so afraid to challenge this culture of death? Why won't we speak?

C. Today is the Feast of the Guardian Angels. Each one of us, says the Lord, has a spiritual helper, a guide, a guardian. Sometimes they protect us from physical evil, but their real job is to watch over us and protect us so that we may be with God forever. And yet, sometimes, they do act in this world. (Examples)

D. We can imitate them, you know. We can be guardian angels for those who need our help, our protection, our guidance. We can speak for the unborn, the aged, the young. We can stand up for life.

III. Practical Ways We Can Support A Culture of Life

A. To fight for life, the best method is to work through our families. To teach respect for the unborn, for little children, for the aged and weak in our families is one of the main tasks of parents. To support abortion or euthanasia, to advocate the right to choose an abortion or choose euthanasia, can in no way be considered a Catholic option. We have to understand that just as Catholics were tested in the 4th century over their belief in Jesus Christ and had to reaffirm firmly that Christ is God, just as Catholics were tested in the Reformation concerning the Eucharist and had to reaffirm that Jesus is really and truly present in the Eucharist, so now Catholics are being tested in the area of human life, and we must reaffirm that the right to life must be protected from womb to tomb. To be Catholic means being unconditionally pro-life. If you remember one thing from this homily, remember this. The sword and shield of the modern day Catholic are the truths I have just spoken of. And we cannot be quietly in support of the Church’s teaching either. We must be very public about what our faith teaches about life.

B. If we are like any other parish, there will be those here today who have had abortions, or who have neglected their elderly loved ones, or who have, by their silence or support, helped people end pregnancies or destroy innocent human life. To those people I say, the Lord Jesus himself offers his hand in forgiveness. Turn away from the actions that have brought you darkness and come back to Christ. The wonderful thing about our Church, about our faith is that there is always a second chance. Come back home. Forgiveness is yours. Indeed, some of the most valiant defenders of the Church’s stand on life have been those who for whatever reason were once on the opposite side.

 

C. Today, when you come up to receive Communion, ask our Lord if he would have said anything different from what the priest said today. My hunch is that he will say to you: "Heed the Scriptures; live the truth."