Homily for annual Respect Life Mass

BISHOP KEVIN J. SWEENEY

[Bishop Sweeney gave the following homily at the Diocese of Paterson’s annual Respect Life Mass in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Paterson on Nov. 21.]

In our reflection this morning, I would like to invite everyone, those gathered here physically, and those joining us by livestream, to pause for a moment and recall the first time you heard or came to appreciate the phrase, “life begins at conception?” Or, perhaps, in other words, can you recall learning or coming to appreciate what it means to say that we believe, as Scripture teaches us, that every person, male and female is created in the “image and likeness” of God, unique and unrepeatable, a child of God?

Finally, as we look forward to Thanksgiving Day, can you recall learning and coming to appreciate what it means to live in the United States, a country founded on the belief and principle that,

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ...”

When I googled the Declaration of Independence, to make sure I had the wording correct, I was also reminded that this founding document goes on to say that the Government exists in order to secure those Rights.

I mention this, my brothers and sisters because in preparing to celebrate this Mass with you today, I found myself returning to my own education and coming to appreciate what we, as Catholics, believe about the gift of human life and what it means to live our faith as good citizens and members of society.

I was particularly struck when I realized that I would be celebrating my first Respect Life Mass as the Bishop of Paterson on the day when, in a few hours, the Church will begin the Feast of Christ the King, the last Sunday in the Liturgical Year. This year our Sunday Readings are part of what we call “Cycle A,” part of that three-year cycle of Sunday Readings when we read, with the whole Church, in Cycles A, B and C from the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke with the Gospel of John sprinkled in at different times and seasons. In this “Year A,” we have been reading from Matthew’s Gospel. On this last Sunday of the year, we read from the 25th chapter of Matthew (verses 31–46), the so-called “Last or Final Judgement” when Jesus describes what it will be like when he returns in glory to judge all of humanity, separating them into two groups, the lambs on his right, who will receive eternal life and the goats on his left, who will go off to eternal punishment. As Jesus tells us, the difference as to whether any of us will be in one group or the other depends if we cared for or failed to care for the least of our sisters and brothers, the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the stranger, the sick and imprisoned.

We must ask ourselves, not only how we minister to those he mentions, but also where and who are the other least among our brothers and sisters? In our society, the unborn child in the womb may be the very least amongst our sisters and brothers. Some say that the Church or people of faith should not be involved in politics. While it is true that there are certain parameters, I cannot read Matthew 25 and understand how we can remain silent or fail to act when our laws, government or society fail to respect the God-given rights and human dignity of the least of our sisters and brothers with whom Jesus himself identifies. Jesus is very clear that he will ask (or tell) each of us what we did or failed to do for him when he was vulnerable and in need.

As we hear today the Gospel of the Annunciation and reflect on the moment when the “Word became Flesh” and dwelt amongst us, is it not clear that “human life begins at conception?” We might also recall not only the first, but also the second Joyful Mystery, the Visitation, when Mary greets Elizabeth and the child, John, leaps in his mother’s womb at the sound of Mary’s greeting. We realize, in that moment, both Jesus and John are unborn children and both of their Moms would be in what we have come to call crisis pregnancy situations.

As I reflect on my own education, I began to learn some of this from my parents and in grammar school, but when I entered Cathedral Prep High School in 1984, the principal was Msgr. Philip Reilly. I was so grateful that he was able to be here on this past July 1 when I was ordained and installed as Bishop. Someday, I would be happy to share with you much more about Msgr. Reilly, but for the moment, I will say what I said at my ordination, he is and has been for more than 60 years as a priest, a great witness on behalf of Life. In 1990, Msgr. Reilly founded a group called the “Helpers of God’s Precious Infants,” which provides a prayerful presence and sidewalk counselors outside abortion clinics. And what began in Queens, N.Y., spread throughout the country and to many countries in the world.

At Msgr. Reilly’s invitation, I joined the helpers and began regularly praying outside an abortion clinic in Queens. It was the beginning of my education in what we have come to call the pro-life movement. Over the years, I learned many things praying outside abortion clinics, but one of the most important lessons was how sensitive we need to be to any woman or family who has experienced a crisis pregnancy or who has contemplated or has had an abortion. In addition, we must be vigilant that, as we witness of behalf of the dignity and value of human life from conception to natural death, that we never do so in a self-righteous or judgmental way, but always with humility and compassion.

Msgr. Reilly and others offered guidance and training for those who prayed and counseled outside the clinics. He and many Bishops also often offered Mass early in the morning before going to the clinic. A moment that changed my life early on was hearing Msgr. Reilly speak about the pregnant women entering the clinic and the child that each Mom was carrying in her womb. He encouraged us to offer as much love as possible to each Mom and her child as they approached the door and often, but not always, entered the clinic. We were told that the Mom should never be judged and that we should realize that the love we offer, if the abortion were to take place, could possibly be the only experience of human love that that unborn child would have during their short time of their life on earth and that it might, one day, contribute in some way to the healing that the Mom would seek.

Jesus tells us that whatever we do or fail to do for the least of our brothers and sisters, we do or fail to do for him. Msgr. Reilly taught all those who would listen that, while laws needed to be changed, much more important was the changing and conversion of hearts; if people’s hearts were converted, then the laws would change accordingly. Sadly, as a nation, our hearts have not been converted to respect the dignity and value of every human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. As people of faith, hope and love and believing that, with God, all things are possible, we continue to pray and work for that conversion of hearts, each beginning with his or her own heart.

Whatever our opinion is concerning the recent presidential election, we still have so much work to do. As many of you are aware, here in our State of New Jersey, there is a draft of a bill called the Reproductive Freedom Act. There is a great deal of information in this week’s Beacon concerning the bill. The N.J. Catholic Conference and N.J. Right to Life are and will be sharing information as to what we can do to contact our legislators and raise our voices against this terrible bill that could potentially lead to the destruction of countless innocent lives. To be honest and clear, the proposals in this bill are frightening. I hope and pray that this is not “who we are” as a people and as a state.

Tonight and tomorrow, we will celebrate with the Church the Feast of Christ the King. Let us pray that he will become more and more the King of each of our hearts, so that we can allow him to move our hearts and inspire our actions, so that we will see and recognize him in the least of our sisters and brothers and that, in caring for them, we may draw closer to him. Finally, in the midst of all that we have been through and all that we continue to face in this most challenging year, on this coming Thursday we will pause with our whole nation to remember and give thanks. We have much to be thankful for: I give thanks for Msgr. Reilly and all those who have dedicated their lives in the cause of Life. We thank the Knights of Columbus and all those who have planned and are sharing in this Mass today. We also continue to give thanks to God for this great country of ours, praying that we may remain faithful to our founding principles:

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. ...”