On Saturday, January 13, Bishop Luis Zarama presided over a bilingual Mass for Life, celebrating, as he said, “what we celebrate in every Eucharist – the life of Jesus and his life that comes to us.”
During his homily, Bishop Luis reflected on the readings, noting that Jesus was criticized for eating with sinners and that those who criticized Jesus were unable to sit with him and celebrate with him.
“That is our challenge,” Bishop Luis said. “To sit with him and celebrate and be open and touched by his life. Faith without being touched by him and to celebrate is difficult. We need to sit with him and celebrate without looking around and criticizing.”
As Deacon Josh Klickman, director of Human Life and Dignity Ministry for the Diocese of Raleigh noted, “At the Mass for Life, we join together to pray that the people of our nation will work together to uphold the dignity of human life. Specifically, we pray for an end to abortion. The Dobbs v. Jackson ruling has overturned Roe v. Wade, and now states have the ability to regulate abortion and provide funding to programs that give families the power to choose life. We must continue to advocate for pro-life laws and policies at the local level. This includes help for women facing unexpected or difficult pregnancies, offering them the compassionate support they need to lovingly welcome their children into the world. We must do whatever we can to support them throughout life's journey, and this begins with prayer.”
Bishop Luis further encouraged those in attendance at the Mass for Life to accept the invitation we receive, without hesitation and without judgement.
“He invites us to find him and let him transform us,” he said. “When Jesus says ‘follow me,’ how do we answer that? How ready are we to let him transform everything? We need to go out and share what we receive – this gift of life. And become missionaries of life.”
On Thursday, January 18, many from the Diocese of Raleigh and across the nation will gather at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., for Mass at 5 p.m. The Mass kicks off the National Prayer Vigil for Life, which will be broadcast on the Basilica's website and ends with a Closing Mass on January 19 at 8 a.m. Then, those who are able to make it to the Capital in person can join with their fellow North Carolinians at the NC Mass for Life at the Basilica at 11:30 a.m. (Audio of the Mass will also be available via radio livestream from https://www.waob.org/.) The March for Life begins at 2 p.m. During and after the march, Senator Thom Tillis is hosting a reception at the Russell Senate building. All of this is a culmination of local and national events, including prayer vigils and marches to pray and fast for our nation to build a culture of life.
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