“How much worse to have eyes and refuse to see.” ~ Helen Keller
October is a dual month for observations. It is the month of the rosary, one of the two months each year dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is also Respect Life month. I do not think it is a coincidence. I think the two go hand-in-hand.
Mary was a young maiden that prayer regularly for the deliverance of her people. They had been praying for hundreds of years for a promised Messiah. I imagine, for some, that the prayers must have become quite routine. After all, if one hopes for something for so long and it does not come about, the fervency of the prayer must wain until it becomes something that needs to be done and then on with the day.
Mary’s prayer was fervent and intense. When the Angel Gabriel came to her during prayer and asked her to become the mother of Jesus, she knew that she was being invited to enter a mystery that she would never be able to fathom. She said yes without reservation and brought Jesus into the world for us all. Her love of God gave us God Himself in the form of a tiny, helpless baby.
She and Joseph did everything that they could do to save their child from harm, even leaving their home and fleeing to Egypt when they were warned that Herod wanted to kill the child. I am sure that Mary’s heart was hurt every time she heard about another plot against her Son’s life. Ultimately, those plots would become a reality and she would stand at the foot of the cross upon which Jesus died.
She cherished the life that was entrusted to her just as all of us are called to do. All life is sacred and all life should be cherished and protected. That is the call of Respect Life Sunday. There are atrocities that take place against life each and every day.
Helen Keller’s quote falls upon many of us. We have eyes; but, we often refuse to see and that is a horrible tragedy. We refuse to see the poor and needy dying because they cannot receive the aid that they require in order to live. We see the sick dying because they cannot afford the medications they need to live. We see and consent to those put to death in capital punishment. We often concur with the right to die in euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide. We stand by as thousands of children are aborted each day.
Mother Mary, ask your Son to give us the grace that we need so that we may cherish and protect all life, from the unborn to those who die a natural death.
FAITH ACTION: Gather as a family and pray the rosary together for all those people whose lives are in danger of being brought to an end.