12th Sunday in Ordinary Time (June 25, 2023)
Jer 20.10-13; Rm 5.12-15; Mt 10.26-33
St. Paul explains an important paradox of our faith. Sin is the transgression of the Law. God gave the Law to Moses. Why is it, then, that Adam, who lived long before Moses and the Law, was able to sin? What Law was he breaking? Jesus answers these questions when he restates the nature of sin. Whoever acknowledges Him will have life, and whoever rejects Him will die. Sin then takes on a renewed meaning. It is no longer a transgression of a Law; it is the denial of a person. Adam’s sin is, then, not against a Law, but against God Himself, Whom Adam knew personally.
Jesus tells us that we must not worry, because God is constantly watching over us, and caring for us. If anyone sins against one of God’s children, this sin is never hidden. When an unborn child is harmed or killed, God sees. At the end of time, Jesus says that everything will be made known.
For those who have sinned by having or assisting in an abortion there is still hope. Jesus still offers each of us a chance to return to Him by asking for forgiveness. He calls us especially to the sacrament of reconciliation, so that we may once more sing of God’s mercy.
Pro-Life Intercession
That God, who rescues the life of the helpless, may enable us to rescue children from abortion, the sick from euthanasia, the criminal from capital punishment, and the poor from starvation, we pray to the Lord ...