St James Catholic Church

Especially appropriate on Respect Life Sunday, our first reading reminds us that God brought life to us all. Out of love and empathy for the first human. God created the first woman. God has blessed us with the ability to share in the creation of new life and we are called to embrace this blessing with care and respect. Valuing life at every stage, we pray today for all those whose lives are valuable, whether they are at the very beginning or end of their lives or because of circumstances that make their lives especially fragile.

The first reading and Gospel may be difficult for many, especially divorced and LGBTQIA Catholics. The specifics and details speak of the traditional idea of marriage. But the underlying theme is one of God’s infinite love for us and desire that we live in happiness, of which companionship and ultimately partnership are foundational. But whether we are married, single, divorced, or widowed, we each have companionship with Jesus. The reading from Hebrews emphasizes the solidarity we have with him, who became fully human so that by the grace of God he could suffer and die like us. No matter our situation, we sing the responsorial psalm, may the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.

To the end, we are reminded that we are called to care for all human life, for we are all members or potential members of the one body of Christ. We witnessed Jesus’ care for the vulnerable in ministry, from little children, to those with terrible diseases and possessed by demons to Samaritans, none of whom were welcomed by those around him. Jesus could sympathize with them, for he himself was made lowly so that he could suffer and die for us. Today we defend the lives of the vulnerable and care for those who are least able to do so themselves.

Love, Peace, Joy,

Fr. Bob