Year of the Family "Amoris Laetitia The Joy of Love"
Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: We saw the star in the East, and we came to worship Him (Mt 2:2)
Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
Saturday Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Saint: Saint Vincent, Deacon, Martyr (-304); Saint Publius, First Bishop of Malta; Saint Anthony Della Chiesa, OP (1394-1459)
Readings of the Day
Rule of Saint Benedict: Ch 5:1-13 Obedience
Mass: 2 Sm 1:1-4, 11-12, 19, 23-27; Resp Ps 80; Mk 3:20-21
Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
MARY, HELP OF CHRISTIANS,
PRAY FOR US.
It's a busy Saturday in the Church with a Day of Prayer, a Week of Prayer, in the midst of the Year of the Family too, saints galore, and the Blessed Virgin Mary! Praise God from whom all blessing flow!
It happens that on this Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children, I am just finishing a recently published biography, Jerome Lejeune: A Man of Science and Conscience (Ignatius, 2021). The author, Aude Dugast, is the postulator for Dr Lejeune's (1926-1994) cause for canonization. He was recently declared Venerable by Pope Francis, in January 2021. A friend introduced me to Dr. Lejeune, who discovered the cause of Down syndrome and "was known for his courageous witness as a scientist in defense of human life" (Magnificat, January 2022, p. 317). I am learning about this remarkable man of faith and am grateful for the privilege. One thing I learned is that the passage of Scripture which served as "profound inspiration for [Dr. Lejeune] in his life as a physician, scientist, and Christian" (Dugast, p. 179), came from the Gospel of Saint John, a passage I reflected upon early this morning. It may serve as inspiration for others who share our faith and life of pray for the legal protection of unborn children. Jesus, Author of Life, have mercy on us.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God ... In Him was life and the light was the light of men ... He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world knew Him not ... and the world became flesh and dwelt among us ...
(John 1:1-18)
It is also worth noting that Dr Lejeune faced, with integrity and respect for all of humanity made in the image of likeness of God, his fair share of adversaries. There were people who likely said, and continue to say, about him and other Pro-Life advocates, what others say about Jesus in today's Gospel: "He is out of his mind" (3:21). By way of example, I quote here a passage from the book found on p. 192, which among other things, prompted me to again read Pope Benedict XVI in his Encyclical Letter Spe Salvi In hope we were saved. The author related an exchange between Dr. Lejeune and one his children. Dr. Lejeune provides Christian witness and offers sound teaching.
One day, one of his children asked him the question: "Papa, how do you stay calm and not insult your opponents when they attack you?"
Jerome answered his young interlocutor gently: "I do not fight against the man, but against his ideas; he has his reason for taking that position. Then, too," he added after a moment of silence, "it is more difficult to be an unbeliever than a believer. When you are a believer, you have hope; when you are an unbeliever, there is the void, nothingness-it must be very difficult to endure."
His son, pensive asked him: "And is it because you forgive them?"
"In order to forgive them, it would be necessary for them to have done me some harm; I would have to have something to blame them for, but they have nothing against me; they are against the reality that I remind them about. It does not matter what they say against me."
VENERABLE JEROME LEJEUNE,
SAINT VINCENT,
SAINT PUBLIUS,
SAINT ANTHONY DELLA CHIESA,
POPE SAINT PAUL VI,
POPE SAINT JOHN PAUL II,
BLESSED MARIA GABRIELLA SAGHEDDU,
PRAY FOR US.
Today's photo: My grandnephew, LGF. I've yet to see this precious little one not radiating love and joy. God is praised!
© Gertrude Feick 2022
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