Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle C

Sir 27:4-7
1 Cor 15:54-58
Luke 6:39-45

Building the Culture of Life, which is the irrevocable and fundamental commitment of the Church, is a matter of proclaiming, in word and deed, the victory that has already been won in Christ, and applying it to every sector of society. "Death is swallowed up in victory," as the second reading declares. That is the starting point for the Church and the pro-life movement. If death is swallowed up in victory, then so is abortion.

This victory changes the way we respond to the gift of human life. We proclaim the victory of life, and we work to defend it from the lingering destructive effects of the kingdom of death. We do so not only in action, but also in speech. The first reading and the Gospel today reveal the power of words. They are a revelation of the heart, of the person, and they have a profound impact on others. In the Culture of Life, we respect and exalt life in the way that we speak about it. We use words that welcome the burdensome. We use words that reflect that our hearts are with the children, and with the weak and defenseless. It is a language of affirmation.

When people are oppressed, the oppressor uses language of degradation, of dehumanization. This has been true throughout history, as we see in the Holocaust, and it is true regarding abortion. The unborn are called "tissue," "parasites," "waste," and other degrading words. But they are our brothers and sisters, creatures of God, equal in their human rights and dignity. They are a blessing entrusted to us. Our language, revealing our hearts, is to reflect this day by day and thereby help to change the world.