DEACON FOR LIFE

Were there to be no support in the whole history of ethical and moral thought, were there no acknowledged confirmation from medical science, were the history of legal opinion to the contrary, we would still have to conclude on the basis of God's Holy Word that the unborn child is a person in the sight of God. He is protected by the sanctity of life graciously given to each individual by the Creator, Who alone places His image upon man and grants them any right to life which they have.

Wednesday, October 30, 2024

USCCB: Day 9 of Respect Life Month Novena

en español

DAY 9

INTERCESSION

May all Catholics help build a culture that cherishes every person as a precious gift from God.

PRAYERS

Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be

REFLECTION

Human life is under attack in countless ways in our culture today. In the face of so many threats to life, we may become discouraged and wonder how we can make a difference. As Christians, we depend not on our own strength, but on God and His Spirit moving within us.

Changing the culture is a process of conversion that begins in our own hearts. We are called to draw close to Jesus, willing to be instructed in His truth and transformed by His love. When we encounter Christ, experience His love, and deepen our relationship with Him in prayer and the sacraments, we come to a greater understanding of our own worth and that of others.

As we become more united with Jesus, it becomes easier to perceive how He is guiding us. God has given each of us particular gifts, and with those gifts He entrusts us with a role and duty within the Body of Christ.

There are many ways that we can help to build a culture that cherishes the gift of human life, including service, advocacy, education, and civic engagement, for example. With prayer as our essential foundation, may God guide each of us in how we are uniquely called to contribute to a culture of life.

ACTS OF REPARATION (Choose one.)

Abstain from meat today.

Offer the “Prayer to St. Joseph, Defender of Life” for today’s intention.
Dearest St. Joseph,

at the word of an angel,

you lovingly took Mary into your home.

As God’s humble servant, you guided

the Holy Family on the road to Bethlehem,

welcomed Jesus as your own son

in the shelter of a manger,

and fled far from your homeland

for the safety of both Mother and Child.

We praise God that as their faithful protector,

you never hesitated to sacrifice

for those entrusted to you.

May your example inspire us also

to welcome, cherish, and safeguard

God’s most precious gift of life.

Help us to faithfully commit ourselves

to the service and defense of human life

—especially where it is

vulnerable or threatened.

Obtain for us the grace

to do the will of God in all things.

Amen.

Offer some other sacrifice, prayer, or act of penance that you feel called to do for today’s intention.

ONE STEP FURTHER

Prayer changes us. Spending time with Jesus transforms our hearts and opens us to receive the fullness of God’s grace. Inspired by God’s love, we are called to put our love into action. Reflect more deeply on how you can help build a culture of life in, “Radical Solidarity.”

NABRE © 2010 CCD. Used with permission. Evangelium vitae (The Gospel of Life), no.9 © 1995, Libreria Editrice Vaticana. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2023, USCCB, Washington, DC. All rights reserved.

USCCB | 3211 Fourth Street NE | Washington, DC 20017-1194 US

USCCB Respect Life

About | Website | Store

LIFE IS SACRED

An example of the traditional magisterial teaching which indicates that it is never morally licit to intentionally kill a child through abortion in order to “save the life of its mother” comes from the teaching of Pope Pius XII:

“Every human being, even the infant in the mother's womb, has the right to life immediately from God, not from the parent or any human society or authority. Therefore, there is no man, no human authority, no science, no medical, eugenic, social, economic or moral ‘indication’ that can show or give valid juridical title for direct deliberate disposition concerning an innocent human life-which is to say, a disposition that aims at its destruction either as an end in itself or as the means of attaining another end that is perhaps in no way illicit itself. Thus, for example, to save the life of the mother is a most noble end, but the direct killing of the child as a means to this end is not licit.”