Advancing the Gospel of Life
By Josh Low
Imploring the intercession of the Blessed Mother for the advancement of the ‘Gospel of Life’ was behind a recent Mass at the Shrine of Our Lady of Victories in Lutana on 25 March.
Held on the Feast of the Annunciation, the day also marked 30 years since the promulgation of Pope St John Paul II’s papal encyclical, Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life).
The faithful gathered at the shrine for midday Mass which was celebrated by Archbishop Julian.
In his homily, Archbishop Julian said the encyclical was a milestone document that carried the deep personal convictions of the former Pope and his desire to take up the cause of the most defenceless of human beings.
“On the day when we commemorate the Blessed Virgin Mary conceiving the Son of God who took flesh in her womb, the Pope issued a document dedicated to the value and inviolability of human life,” he said.
“His letter is an appeal not just to Catholics but to all people. He says, ‘In the name of God: respect, protect, love and serve life, every human life’.
“Every living person has been offered eternal life. So much does God value every single human being,” Archbishop Julian said.
Further referencing the document, he said the Pope solemnly declares the Church’s belief in the sacredness of human life and confirms that “the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral.”
“He (the Pope) further affirms this in speaking specifically about abortion when he states that abortion ‘willed as an end or as a means always constitutes a grave moral disorder’.
“In making these decisive declarations the Pope is conscious that he stands in communion with his fellow bishops and the consistent tradition of the Church, even if it is at odds with the views of many now in the world.
“As he so often does the Pope turns to the Blessed Virgin Mary who, as he says, ‘accepted Life in the name of all and for the sake of all’.
“He turns to her and seeks her intercession that people will, as he says, ‘realise that life is always at the centre of a great struggle between good and evil, between light and darkness’.
“Today as we celebrate the great news given to Mary that she was to be the mother of our Saviour, we implore her intercession for the advancement of the Gospel of Life,” he concluded.