Lifeissues is mainly concerned with publishing thoughtful articles directly related to issues raised in Evangelium Vitae. However, from the very beginning, we have also published a few related homilies, notably by Fr. Al Cariño, O.M.I., Fr. Tony Pueyo, and others.
Please use the pulldowns below to select a homily by Liturgical Calendar date.
God does not call perfect people, rather He perfects those whom He calls. The calling comes first. He who is called grows in friendship with God. He grows in holiness. What is necessary is the readiness to answer the call.
Our day of reckoning is coming, actually began last January first and will take another turn on this August first. I am speaking about the implementation of the federal government's Health and Human Services mandate that we all pay and provide for contraceptives, abortions and sterilizations - free of charge to all takers. That's how far we have come in this nation, a mandate for health insurance so a girl as young as twelve can get some contraceptive pill or have an abortion without her parents' knowledge or consent. Think about it. It's the law, The Affordable Health Care Act at work because we did not speak up loudly enough. The problem is this law is being inserted into our lives a little at a time–enacted over a span of four years so we wouldn't feel the impact all at once or comprehend the depth of its perversity.
All these people experienced something extraordinary, much larger than their own lives; they encountered the divine holiness, and it was against this background that they felt their own profound unworthiness. It was a negative experience, but it was a necessary condition that made possible the magnificent and awe-inspiring experience of the divine.
Jesus calls Simon Peter from fishing for fish to fishing for people. This remarkable exchange illuminates how there is hope for everyone, especially those who, hailing from the margins of society, see themselves as sinful and worthless. Jesus is looking for exactly them ... and he's still looking today.