Mass for Life calls on parishes to be ‘oases’ for those in crisis pregnancies

By BETH DONZE
Clarion Herald

The language of Genesis serves as a powerful reminder that every single human being – past, present and future – is God’s “crown jewel of creation,” said Father Ajani Gibson, delivering the homily of the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ June 10 Mass for Life.

Father Gibson, the parochial vicar of St. Peter Claver Church in New Orleans, noted that while God describes the results of his first five days of creation as “good,” he goes on to label his creation of man and woman – on the sixth day – as being “very good.” On that day, God created his children in his own image and likeness, inviting them to eternal life from the moment they are formed in the womb, Father Gibson said.

“Each human being is to be treated with love and compassion, as dictated by the divine love written on each of our hearts from the foundation of the world,” said Father Gibson, speaking to about 200 congregants gathered inside St. Dominic Church in New Orleans for the special liturgy calling for prayers for the unborn, their parents and the overturning of the Roe v. Wade court decision by the Supreme Court.

“Our world and our times need a reorientation towards life eternal, a reorientation towards the dignity of human life (and the reality) that the gift of human life – most precious in the eyes of God – must be protected and defended, nurtured and carried, even on our shoulders,” Father Gibson said.

Needed: 21st-century Good Samaritans

But although every human being is stamped with such sacred dignity, that dignity must be reflected in the way he or she loves God and neighbor, Father Gibson said. He said guidance on how to “inherit eternal life” was given to us by Jesus in the Parable of the Good Samaritan, the Mass’ selected Gospel reading from St. Luke.

First, you must love God “with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength and with all your mind.”

Secondly, this love for God, if authentic, and the accompanying invitation to share in eternal life, must then move God’s children to love their neighbor – “to love even the enemy” and to “especially love the vulnerable and voiceless among us,” Father Gibson pointed out. Reminding others that all of us are created for “life eternal” can be a daunting task, given what seemingly is being promoted today – a “culture of death” ruled by hopelessness, doubt and fear, and in which rampant violence against both the born and unborn is somehow tolerated, Father Gibson said.

By giving us the example of the Good Samaritan, “the Lord invites us to take a different disposition,” he stressed. Rather than embracing cynicism, “the Lord is inviting us to embrace compassion and mercy and to tend to the wounds of those we pass along the way … to see the one who has been left for dead – the mother abandoned by her family; the child lost without a home; to care for those who find themselves in desperate situations, left for dead; to hear the cry of those without a voice to cry out for themselves; to defend those who are left defenseless in the face of robbers and those seeking to steal that which is eternal.”

Father Gibson said being the Good Samaritans of today entails “following the example of Christ crucified” – being people who are willing to risk their social status, rise above ideological differences and face persecution in their efforts to promote “the truth that life is ‘very good’ and has been created by an eternal God.”

“Our prayers, our witnessing, our advocating must be done with eyes fixed on life eternal,” Father Gibson said, “for heaven is not only for us who defend it, but has been opened for all – and we must bring all to it!”

Prayers – and action – to protect life

Noting that “the child in the womb and the protection of that child” are the most fundamental components of the church’s respect-life teachings, Archbishop Gregory Aymond, the Mass’ principal celebrant, asked congregants to focus on two main areas in the coming days: first, to pray that the nine Supreme Court justices would know and respond to “God’s will” in their deliberations on Roe v. Wade.

Secondly, the archbishop challenged Catholics to ascertain what they will do to “be present” to families experiencing crisis pregnancies and other parenting challenges. Archbishop Aymond, noting that prayer is vital but must be paired with action,  said Catholics’ responsibilities include helping mothers in challenging times to “never feel alone” and to know the church’s desire “to reach out and help them with love and compassion.”

Sharing his elation that citizens are “on the precipice of restoring the legal protection of life in Louisiana,” Ben Clapper, executive director of Louisiana Right to Life, echoed the archbishop’s request for daily prayers for the Supreme Court justices.

“We can’t imagine the pressure they are facing right now as they are going through these decisions,” Clapper said, noting that if and when Roe v. Wade is overturned, Louisiana laws to protect babies from abortion will automatically go into effect.

If that happens, it will be “a reason to celebrate” but will also be a time to refocus and bolster state, local and faith-based efforts to protect life, Clapper said. Like the Good Samaritan of the Gospel, “Our love has to fill that gap where legal abortion has been in our society,” added Clapper, calling on every Catholic parish to become “an oasis for mothers facing crisis pregnancies” by surrounding them with love and connecting them to resources.

A nationwide endeavor called “Walking with Moms in Need,” initiated by the U.S. Catholic bishops, encourages the faithful to “walk in the shoes” of pregnant women by helping them identify the many state and local resources that support maternal and infant health. That list of resources, listed by location and category of need, includes pregnancy care centers, maternity homes, diaper and food banks, counseling services (including infant-loss and post-abortion counseling), domestic abuse agencies, health care, homeless and housing services, human trafficking resources and immigration and refugee services. For an updated directory for our local area, go to: https://files.ecatholic.com/16596/documents/2022/3/WWM%20GNO%20Resources%201-1.pdf.

Other resources for those in crisis pregnancies include:

• Louisiana’s Safe Haven Law, which provides a safe, legal and last resort to child abandonment. This law allows a parent to give up custody of a newborn up to 60 days old by bringing the baby to an emergency designated facility or Safe Haven site. Call 1-888-510-BABY or text  313131 to the 24/7 crisis hotline.

• For prayer resources, including suggested Prayers of the Faithful in support of the unborn and their parents, and a “Community Prayer” for use in parish settings, visit https://prolifelouisiana.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/glo0VR-file.pdf.

The Mass for Life was co-sponsored by the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Respect Life Office (www.nolacatholic.org/respectlife) and Louisiana Right to Life.

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