“As we gather to celebrate this Mass for Life, we thank God for the gift of life – for every human person, every child of God, from the moment of conception until the moment of natural death,” said Auxiliary Bishop Michael Woost. “All life is made glorious in the sight of the Lord. All life must be respected, dignified, celebrated and protected because every human life is precious, valued and loved by God and should be by us.”
Bishop Woost was the principal celebrant of the liturgy, which took place Jan. 17 in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist. Father Damian Ference, diocesan vicar for evangelization, concelebrated. Among those attending were representatives of several schools in the Diocese of Cleveland.
(See photo gallery above.)
As he began his homily, the bishop noted that in the Gospel the disciples approached Jesus asked who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. He paused to reflect on the question, and mentioned his great niece, who will celebrate her first birthday on Jan. 25.
If you ask her parents who is the greatest gift in their lives, undoubtedly, they would reply that their daughter is, the bishop said.
Because of this, he said we’re not surprised that Jesus would hold up a child as the greatest in God’s kingdom. However, in the culture of Jesus’ time, a child younger than 12 was considered a “social nobody,” Bishop Woost said. Although loved by their parents, he said they served no useful purpose and had no status or social importance until they were old enough to contribute to the family and community.
“Jesus shocked his disciples by challenging that opinion and overturning the social norm,” he added. In the Gospel, we are told that unless we become like children, we will not enter the kingdom of heaven, the bishop said. “And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me,” Jesus said.
Jesus challenged the prevailing viewpoint of many contemporaries – not just by his words, but also by who he reached out to with compassion, mercy and love, Bishop Woost said, listing “the outcast lepers, the shunned Samaritans, the hated tax collectors, the suspect foreigners, the despised prostitutes, the unwelcome Romans, the unworthy sinners, the sick, the poor, the possessed – people who were broken, fearful, ignored and forgotten. Jesus focused his attention on society’s ‘nobodies’ and affirmed their value,” he explained.
He said Jesus used this approach because children who are welcomed and supported in a loving environment are open to their surroundings and amazed by everything new.
“Children see what we as adults may overlook. They have an energy and an imagination for living life from fresh perspectives … Jesus … knew what a miracle and promise children are,” the bishop added.
“That is why we gather here today in this cathedral to celebrate this Mass for Life. From the moment of conception, a child is a miracle and a promise. Not a nobody, but a somebody. In God’s eyes, the greatest gift in God’s kingdom,” he said.
“We are God’s children – you and me – valued as God’s greatest treasure. This knowledge alone should leave us standing in awe, grateful and rejoicing, knowing that we are loved. This morning, in a special way, we give thanks to God for the gift of life –beginning with thanking him for the gift of our own lives. God called us and formed us from our mother’s womb. God loved us into life. Not one of us here is an accident,” Bishop Woost said. “God gave us life and called us his beloved. God created us as God’s unique fingerprint on this moment in human history. Our lives have purpose. Each of us is a miracle and a promise because we have been given life.”
The bishop reminded the faithful that each person is created in the image and likeness of God and therefore is called to be a child of God, which is why we must not despise any child. That also is why the Gospel commissions us to “find the lost sheep,” he said.
“We find ourselves in a culture that often scorns our belief in the Gospel of life. Yet, Jesus calls us to continue to reach out to those who, at one time, may have considered the most vulnerable among us – the unborn – as a nobody.”
The lost sheep may include women who chose to keep their babies but feel lost without the support of family and friends as they face financial and other challenges. The Church offers support through programs like Project Rachel, Zelie’s Home, Walking with Moms in Need, Birthright, the Christ Child Society and more, Bishop Woost said.
“Like Jesus, we are meant not simply to speak of life’s value, but to show it,” he added.
With prayer and faith, we embrace the Gospel of life and its mission so that each and every human life may be valued as the greatest miracle and promise in God’s kingdom.”
After Mass, the bishop greeted students in attendance and posed for photos.
The liturgy was planned by the diocesan Office for Human Life, which is led by director Mary von Carlowitz. Click here for more information, including links to pregnancy resources, adoption, qualified health centers, post-abortion care resources, services offered by the office and information on human trafficking. The Mass was livestreamed and can be viewed on demand here.