Mark 3: 7-12
Jesus departed with his disciples to the sea, and a great multitude from Galilee followed him; hearing all that he was doing, they came to him in great numbers from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, beyond the Jordan, and the region around Tyre and Sidon. He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd, so that they would not crush him; for he had cured many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him. Whenever the unclean spirits saw him, they fell down before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” But he sternly ordered them not to make him known.
New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989, by the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. USCCB approved.
Rejecting the Throw-Away Culture
In his remarks during the Angelus on January 29, 2023, the late Pope Francis challenged all of us “not to throw people away. The throw-away culture says, ‘I use you insofar as I need you. When I am not interested in you anymore, or you are in my way, I throw you out’. It is especially the weakest who are treated this way: unborn children, the elderly, the needy and the disadvantaged. But people are never to be thrown out; the disadvantaged cannot be thrown away! Every person is a sacred gift, each person is a unique gift, no matter what their age or condition. Let us always respect and promote life! Let’s not throw life away!”
Today the Catholic Church in the United States invites us to pray for the sanctity of all life, specifically unborn children. So, let us take our former pontiff’s invitation seriously reflecting upon the people we throw away because they are considered weak, ugly, needy, inconvenient, vulnerable, or damaged. Let us pray for them and attend to them in their need. Let us always respect and promote life.
—Rev. Paul J. Shelton, SJ, is the provincial assistant for vocations for the Midwest Jesuits. If you are interested in becoming a Jesuit or know a young man who would be a good Jesuit, please visit beajesuit.org.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you are the source and lover of life. Reawaken in us respect for every human life. Help us to see in each child the marvelous work of our Creator. Open our hearts to welcome every child as a unique and wonderful gift. Guide the work of doctors, nurses and midwives. May the life of a mother and her baby in the womb be equally cherished and respected. Help those who make our laws to uphold the uniqueness and sacredness of every human life, from the first moment of conception to natural death. Give us wisdom and generosity to build a society that cares for all. Together with Mary, your Mother, in whose womb you took on our human nature, help us to choose life in every decision we take. We ask this in the joyful hope of eternal life with you, and in the communion of the Blessed Trinity. Amen.
Our Lady of Knock, pray for us. All the Saints of Ireland, pray for us.
—Prayer for the Child in the Womb from the Irish Catholic Bishops Conference
Pray with the Pope
Pray with the monthly prayer intentions of the pope.