OUR SOLEMN ANNUAL EUCHARISTIC DEVOTIONS are taking place this weekend. We will have our Solemn Closing with Mass and a procession with the Blessed Sacrament on Sunday, October 22, beginning at 5 PM. Our guest homilist for the closing Mass will be Fr. Jeffrey Liptak, Parochial Vicar at St. Basil the Great Parish in Brecksville. Fr. Liptak was ordained to the priesthood this past May.
As Election Day draws near, we need to do as much praying and fasting as we can and ask God to spare us the terrible destruction of human life that will be destroyed if Issue One is passed and abortion, as well as many other destructive ideas and practices, will become part of the law of the State of Ohio. October is Respect Life Month, a time for us to pray for a greater respect for all human life from conception to natural death. Our respect for all human life is not just a teaching of the Church, but it is the TEACHING OF GOD. The Fifth Commandment states very simply, “You shall not kill.” The commandments of God written by God Himself cannot not be changed or updated or amended in any way. We all have free will given to us by God so we can choose for ourselves what we are to do, but it is still wrong, and we will be judged by God accordingly. If we teach others to disobey God’s Law, then we will be held responsible for that as well.
As in all the commands and teachings of God and the Gospel there is one simple purpose and that is to love. God gave us the commandments to teach us how to love Him and one another. Why do parents teach their children to do certain things and avoid others? Is it not because they love their children and want to protect them from any harm even if the child does not see or understand the danger? God is our Father and He watches over us. We must learn to trust in God’s love for us even when we do not understand or even agree with His Word. We must know that God knows better than we do what is best for us. Let us trust in the Lord and teach others to do the same through our prayers and examples. To disregard the love and the law of the Lord is not going to help anyone. Taking the life of an unborn child will never solve anyone’s problem; it will only create new and different problems. I believe there are very few, if anyone, that can actually participate or advocate an abortion that will be able to just forget about it. An action such as this will stay with a person for the rest of their life.
Respect for all human life affects all of us because it has a great impact on families and our society as a whole. When there is little respect for a human life, especially an unborn child’s life, we all suffer in ways that we do not immediately understand or even know. Let us pray and fast for a greater respect for human life and not disrupt the loving plan of God our Father.
Please be careful of the ads you may see on TV that portray this amendment as a compassionate response to an unplanned pregnancy. Also be aware that these ads are not truthful when they claim that voting NO will deny women care in the time of a miscarriage. This is so blatantly NOT TRUE. Nowhere in any state is care denied to any woman just because there is a law against abortion in that state. We need to pay attention as we vote and do it prayerfully and carefully. May God bless us and watch over us during these difficult times.
We also need to be concerned about Issue Two which would make recreational use of marijuana legal for those 21 years of age and older. This cannot be a good thing for anyone, least of all our young people. We all know how seemingly easy it is for minors to obtain alcohol and cigarettes; this would just be one more harmful substance that would be made available to many young people. I know that adults and children use this drug already, but to make it legal is just a step in the wrong direction. We have an obligation to provide for the well-being of not only our children, but of one another as well.
On the first Sunday of each month a group of parishioners gather in the church after the 5 PM Mass to pray the Rosary for our country. Since the voting of Issue One will take place the following Tuesday I would like to invite everyone to come to pray the Rosary for the protection of our state from the evils of abortion and all the evils that will be unleashed on us if Issue One passes. Please set aside this time to come together as brothers and sisters in the Lord to ask our Mother Mary to watch over us and help to defeat this great evil. Remember: Sunday, November 5, after the 5 PM Mass in the church. Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.
