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Is 43:16-21
Phil 3:8-14
Jn 8:1-11 “See, I am doing something new,” the Lord declares today through the Prophet Isaiah. That is what we proclaim to the world as we build the Culture of Life, and that is what Lent prepares us for. “By your gracious gift each year, your faithful await the sacred paschal feasts with the joy of minds made pure.” (Preface 1 of Lent). The paschal mystery renews the world, and ushers in the new humanity, built on Christ and reconciled with God. That is the source of the Culture of Life. The error of excluding entire segments of the human family, like the unborn, from personhood and protection, is an error that is old. It crops up throughout human history, and leads to genocide, holocausts, various forms of slavery, segregation and oppression. But Christ makes all things new. As today’s Gospel passage reveals, he does not condemn us, but reveals to us the mercy that flows from his love for every human life. Yet that mercy is not permission to return to our old life of sin, but rather power that raises us up beyond the life of sin to a new way of responding to the people around us. Some will maintain that it is not really possible to overcome the culture of death or to stop the advance of abortion, euthanasia, and other forms of violence. But if we are to celebrate the paschal mystery with mind and heart renewed, and are to hear the message, “See, I am doing something new,” then we are called to believe that it really is possible – and we are called to use our gifts and energy to make it real. In addition to these themes, the homily today may well speak about the post-abortion healing ministries of the Church. A good clearinghouse for such ministries is SilentNoMoreAwareness.org.
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