This Sunday we celebrate Respect Life Sunday. Our Holy Father, Pope Leo, has called for us to promote the Gospel of Life, and protect and cherish life from conception to natural death. In the first week of his papacy, he affirmed the teaching of the Church about the sanctity of human life. As reported in the media outlet “The Christian Post”, he stated, “no one is exempted from striving to ensure respect for the dignity of every person, especially the most frail and vulnerable, from the unborn to the elderly, from the sick to the unemployed, citizens and immigrants alike.”
As we reflect on the profound words of Pope Leo, this Sunday we are invited to reaffirm our appreciation for the precious gift of life. There will be a series of “Life Chains” which will be conducted throughout the Archdiocese of Atlanta. We are invited to participate in the “Life Chain” that will be held between 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. on Old Alabama Road in an area which will include the space in front of our Church. The “Life Chain” will be a peaceful, public, and prayerful witness concerning the dignity of all life, especially the lives of the unborn. We will pray for our nation, our people and our political leaders, and we will be exercising our responsibility to speak out on behalf of the sanctity of life.
The following “Prayer for Life” provided by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Harrisburg asks God to renew a sense of appreciation for life in the hearts of the faithful:
Father and Maker of all, you adorn all creation with splendor and beauty, and fashion human lives in your image and likeness.
Awaken in every heart reverence for the work of your hands, and renew among your people a readiness to nurture and sustain your precious gift of life.
Grant this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen.
As we reflect on this prayer, we are challenged to commit ourselves publicly to the protection of all human life as we strive to enhance the moral integrity of our great nation. If we cannot be at the “Life Chain” in Johns Creek this Sunday, we are invited to speak for the most vulnerable through prayer in the silence of our hearts.
May God continue to bless you and your families for all you do to embrace a culture of life.