Introduction to Mass for the National Day of Prayer for Life by Cardinal Seán Brady

05 May 2013

“Choose Life – We Cherish them Both” – Our Lady’s Basilica, Knock, 4 May 2013

 Welcome to Cnoc Mhuire – Welcome to Mary’s Holy Hill

Where we come to give humble and sincere thanks to God for the gift of life – the marvellous gift of life:

  • Life – that splendid pearl of great price
  • Entrusted to each one of us to be preserved with responsibility, and brought to perfection in the fullness of love.

The Gospel of Life lies at the heart of the Good News, brought by Jesus Christ. It is the kind of Good News that finds an echo in every human heart, fulfilling, as it does, and infinitely surpassing, the expectations of every human heart.

We live in a twilight sort of world where, unfortunately, the perception of the seriousness of abortion – has grown progressively obscured in the minds of many of our contemporaries.

In this Mass we pray for courage – the kind of courage that is needed to look the truth in the eye and to call it as it is, without yielding to self-deception or bowing to convenient compromise, scrupulously avoiding ambiguous language which cloaks the true horror of the situation and reduces its seriousness in public.

Today we ask the intercession of Mary.  Mary said ‘yes’ to life and, as a result, gave us Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life.

Today we ask the Lord to look, with love, on all of us so as to enable all of us to assume our responsibilities – whether as teachers of the Moral Order or promoters of the Common Good.  Today we pray that we may become the Body of Christ in reality so that, in our time and place, we may share the compassionate love of Christ with all but especially with the expectant mother and her unborn child.

Let us acknowledge that we have failed to do so in the past………..
  • Cardinal Seán Brady is Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland