Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, our readings this Saturday invite us to reflect on the virtues of faithfulness, community support, persistence in prayer, and ultimately, justice. These themes resonate deeply with the values that we, as a community, strive to uphold, particularly in the context of the conservative ideals that advocate for justice, dignity, and support for our families and neighbours.
In the Third Epistle of Saint John, we hear a powerful affirmation of being faithful in our actions, especially towards those who are on a journey—those who may be strangers in need of support. This passage reminds us that every act of kindness, especially towards those who might not have the resources to care for themselves, is not merely a good deed. It is a calling in which we become co-workers in the truth.
Today, as we look around our communities, we see individuals and families struggling. Some are seeking to uphold moral values, others are fleeing conflicts, and all are looking for a fair chance at life. This is a call to action for us—are we willing to extend our hands, share our resources, and stand in solidarity with those who seek to uphold the principles we value? Supporting one another, especially the marginalized, is fundamental to our faith and closely aligns with our conservative beliefs of family values, personal responsibility, and community support.
We know that one of the hot issues surrounding the recent election in the United States was illegal immigration. It is not possible to allow dangerous individuals to slip by our borders thereby endangering innocent people, and perhaps and God-forbid, members of our own family. Yet, it has happened. One victim is one too many, and yet there’s been thousands. That said, we also need to show charity to the innocent, who are fleeing and seeking a new life for themselves and their children, and as much focus ought to be put on this as the deportations of hundreds of thousands, millions, which is planned to ensue in quite a short period of time. That process must be undertaken with charity and consideration and it is understood that the law will need to be upheld. However, as we always ask, even in some instances in scripture, when does mercy supersede the law? Joseph for example, would have been required by law to hand over our Blessed Mother Mary, who was found to be pregnant out of wedlock, to the authorities, which usually culminated in a stoning to death. Joseph knew to choose mercy over the law here and send her away quietly. Then, God revealed to him the truth about the Child in her womb. So too it is with us. We need to be wise enough, and close to God enough, to know when mercy has to take priority over the law. We have to create a well thought out system of processing the immigrants who seek refuge in new countries, and receive them as we would Christ, had he been in that situation.
So too when it comes to saving unborn babies. Mercy. Joseph gave baby Jesus a chance to be born into this world. And this latter is the most fundamental issue of all, because illegal immigrants will nevertheless be afforded the opportunity to go through the process and enter a country legally, but the unborn will have no right of passage if they continue to be terminated in the womb. It would seem that God is showing mercy, for the outgoing administration has been diabolically obsessed with the slaughtering of the innocent. There’s no other words to describe it. Until we admit that, we will continue to wallow in our unreasonable and illusory fight for other rights prematurely, circumstances or no circumstances. Nothing ever warrants the termination of another human being in the valiant and courageous world of the heavenly-minded children of God. Everything else, is from beneath, the netherworld, the father of lies. One can only fight for the right to health, housing, and food for example, if one has been given the right, first and foremost, to be born in the first place. Let’s stop playing around with this issue, as it weakens the resolve to look after other vulnerable people among us as well—for in denying a child, you will deny the elderly, their right to be protected and looked after until their dying breath. A very practical way to look at all these issues is to always ask: what if that was me… in the womb, in the hospital bed, at a border seeking refuge, at a soup kitchen seeking food, applying for a job, etc… what if that was me?
The Gospel of Luke presents us with the parable of the persistent widow. This widow, facing injustice, embodies the principle that we must continually advocate for what is right, even when it appears that no one is listening or willing to help. Her determination teaches us about the importance of resilience in the face of adversity. The unjust judge initially ignored her pleas, representing a system that often fails the vulnerable. Yet, her persistence led to justice. Through much blood, sweat and tears mingled with our prayers, Roe vs Wade was finally overturned. This was a direct answer from God, before our eyes, a miracle which no one thought possible in the world of modernity, to our prayers. And it looks like he’s hearing our prayers, because they are persistent, once again. This widow, who keeps knocking at his door, is all of us. Let’s keep knocking. We pray that Canada is next, and then one country after another, a domino effect if you will, of collapsing abortion clinics around the world and an awakening to what is good, honourable, true, just, holy and right. We are called to relentlessly seek what is right.
This parable encourages us to be persistent, and it also brings to mind the saints whom we ask to knock at the door for us. This too helps our cause and our petitions—to have someone more powerful than ourselves make the plea on our behalf, and of course, Jesus holds first place in this department, as he is the Mediator between humanity and the Father, but he also makes us comediators when he tells us to pray for one another.
Jesus reminds us that God is not like the unjust judge or the fallen justice systems of the world who pledge allegiance to their higher up human bosses. God has no boss, he has no judge. He upholds the righteous and he vindicates the poor. He is a champion to the orphan and sustains the widow. He sees, acts, intervenes, in his good and perfect timing. Let us continue to trust that he hears and answers every single one of our prayers. So, pray away!
As we move forward from this Holy Mass, let us reach out to those who need our support, and let us persist in our prayers and actions that seek justice for all.
May God bless you and guide us all in this important mission, through the intercession of the Queen of Heaven and Earth. Amen.
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