In his homily given at Saint Saviours’ Priory, Dominick St, Dublin, before the ‘Rally for Life’, Bishop Kevin Doran said: “When the law no longer upholds the principle that one person may not freely take the life of another, then the very foundations of our civilisation are shaken.
“Our first reading today, which is also used on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, presents us with the image of the Virgin Mary escaping into the wilderness, pursued by the dragon. This is not just about the birth of Jesus, it is about the age-old struggle between good and evil. The Book of Revelation was written by Saint John, probably in the second half of the first century, at a time of crisis, when Christians in the Roman Empire were persecuted for their faith. It sets out to reassure believers that, in the person of Jesus, good has already triumphed over evil. There is no need for us to be afraid. In history, the struggle goes on all sorts of ways, and sometimes evil seems to have the upper hand. But the victory does not depend on us alone.
“Our political action this afternoon is a small but vital expression of our commitment to defend the common good of our whole society. This is what our politicians are elected to do, and they need the power of our witness. Women and babies need us to stand with them, and so do men. Doctors, nurses and pharmacists need our support and encouragement to stand for the truth and to act with integrity.
“But I began by asking you why you are here; not just here for the Rally, but here for Mass in advance of the Rally. Of course, you might say, we come here to pray for women and their babies, and to pray for our society. Perhaps the first thing we need to do, however, is to pray for ourselves that we may be good people; people of integrity, reflecting the love of Jesus in all that we do. I invite you to reflect again on our Gospel passage
“We will walk, just as Mary walked across the mountains of Judea to be in solidarity with her cousin Elizabeth who was already coming to the end of her pregnancy. But it is good for us to have confidence that we are not walking on our own. We bring more with us than just ourselves. Mary carried Jesus in her womb as she walked. It is important that as we walk, we carry him in our hearts.”
To read the full homily click here
