“Love Saves Lives”

When Pope Francis made his trip to the United States in 2015, the theme of his visit was “Love is Our Mission.” As missionary disciples of Jesus Christ, our mission is love: the love of God and the love of neighbor. The 45th annual March for Life, coming up on January 19, 2018 in Washington, DC, has taken up the theme: “Love Saves Lives.” Here’s why the organizers of the March chose this theme:

“Choosing life is not always easy, but it is the loving, empowering, and self-sacrificial option. Love is universally attractive because it is directed towards others. Love is what we all strive for because deep-down we are all drawn to give of ourselves in this way. Love saves lives in countless ways.” (March for Life website)

The greatest challenge in choosing life is our choice to love because love demands something of us. There are many ways in which love can manifest itself in choosing life. The choice for life is always a choice to love. We are called to will the good of another that makes the bringing forth of life possible, even in the most difficult and trying circumstances.

Many of your parishes engage in activities throughout the year that manifest this will to love, such as partnering with local pregnancy centers, helping women and families through crisis pregnancy, volunteering in local maternity homes, praying outside of abortion clinics, supporting women and men who have experienced the pain of abortion, educating the parish community about life issues, and advocating for life-affirming laws. Many of your parishes will also engage in activities leading up to the March for Life and also participate in this public act of willing the good of the other. Here’s a list of activities that parishes can do before the March. During next week, there will be several events that will be a public witness of love as the March for Life approaches.

Our Life is Beautiful Mass and Reception, hosted by Archbishop William Lori on Sunday, January 14th at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is an opportunity as an Archdiocese to give a public and unified witness of our love for life and to honor those in our communities that are exemplars of this love. This year, we will honor Linda Brenegan, the former Director of the Office of Respect Life with the Culture of Life Medal and Fr. Agustino Torres, CFR, the founder of Corazón Puro and our special guest speaker with the Life is Beautiful Award. We will also honor the many unborn lives lost to abortion since Roe v. Wade with a rose procession at the beginning of the Mass. Together we will gather for a lunch reception and receive words of encouragement from Fr. Agustino as we continue our mission of love in the service of life.

The Catholic Center will participate in the first Love Saves Lives week, based on the theme of this year’s March. We will engage of acts of prayer, confession, adoration, and giving. The week will start off with Life is Beautiful, then go into a Holy Hour for Life and Healing that Tuesday. On Wednesday, there will be a prayer vigil outside of the Planned Parenthood on Howard St., and on Thursday a coffee break benefiting a local pregnancy center where we will collect gifts for babies.

All of these activities will culminate in the national March for Life, the pinnacle event of the pro-life movement and an act of love for the common good. Some may see the March simply as a protest and others as a time to get together with other likeminded people, and still others simply as a political movement. But it is truly an act of love to will that our country have laws that affirm the good and value of every human life, whether born or unborn. And this is what the March for Life is about. And we hope to join many of you as we march for love and March for Life.

Sacrament and Solidarity

The sacramental life of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, particularly the sacrament of the Most Holy Eucharist, gave St. Mother Teresa everything that she needed to serve the poorest of the poor in Calcutta. Read more

When D(iagnosis)-Day isn’t an End . . .

Rapid advancements in perinatal testing equip families with information about their newest members as they prepare to welcome them. This information can be so valuable for families to prepare their hearts and homes for children with special needs or to prepare emotionally for what might be a short time with their children. Imagine the range of emotions: joy, devastation, anticipation, fear, stress, and others that they may experience. Read more

Give Without Counting the Cost

In 2002, I was employed as an emergency interviewer at an outreach center here in Baltimore. One of the first people I met was a religious sister, whom we’ll call “Mary,” who was the AIDS/HIV coordinator. Sister Mary instilled in me a culture of encounter, the importance of being compassionate to people no matter their condition or situation, and the need to meet them where they are. Read more

I Was Naked And You Clothed Me

We are called to “clothe the naked”. How can we share this message in our parish? There is the obvious corporal work of mercy of donating clothes. This time of the year as the air gets crisp we are reminded to think of our homeless sisters and brothers and to clean out our closets. The St. Vincent de Paul boxes are overflowing at parishes, which is great. You might want to suggest that folks keep care packages in their cars, especially during the winter season. Good things to fill small bags with are socks, sweatshirts, bottles of water and snacks. It is great to slip a rosary or prayer card inside as well. But what does it mean to spiritually “clothe the naked”? Read more

Keeping Our Eyes On Christ

Recently a story was shared with me about St. Mother Teresa.

She held the hand of a young child who was hungry and approached a man who was well off asking him for assistance. The man’s reply:  he spit in Mother’s face. St. Mother Teresa’s response: “That was your gift to me, now do you have anything for the child?” Read more

Entering the Year of Mercy (plus 54 ideas for celebrating it)

The Year of Mercy began this week, on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Catholic Center employees were invited to spend that day, or at least part of that day, with agencies dedicated to one or more of the corporal works of mercy. On Tuesday, we had members of our staff dispersed at various Catholic Charities agencies, outreach services to persons with disabilities, and a number of other places. It was a great gift for me to spend a few hours with the Saint Vincent de Paul Society at Resurrection in Ellicott City. Read more