In Ireland this Sunday is the Feast of St Brigid, Secondary Patroness
of the country. The Mass is that of St Brigid but the readings are those of the
Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A.
Readings (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, Ireland, New Zealand)
Readings (English Standard Version, Catholic Edition: (England & Wales, Scotland, India)
Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)
Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a (English Standard Version, Anglicised)
At that time: Seeing the crowds, Jesus went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven.’
A study of
abortions in the United States from 1995-2011 found that 67% of
women who were told their baby would have Down syndrome decided to abort. This
number is much higher in other countries. BBC reports that 90% of women in
England whose babies are diagnosed with Down syndrome choose to abort .
. . We see that trend in other
countries as well. For instance, the Life Institute reports that in Iceland,
nearly 100% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted. And in Germany, more than
90% of babies with Down syndrome are aborted.
Research will show that these figures have become higher in recent years in Western Countries. Since 2018 it has been legal in the Republic of Ireland, where I am from, to abort children in the womb simply because they have Down Syndrome.
Pope Francis on abortion
This central paragraph in Laudato si', the encyclical of Pope Francis 'On care for our common home' is all but ignored by the vast majority who profess to be concerned about Planet Earth. I've highlighted the words of Pope Francis and of Pope Leo XIV below because of the importance and clarity.
Since everything is interrelated, concern for the protection of nature is also incompatible with the justification of abortion. How can we genuinely teach the importance of concern for other vulnerable beings, however troublesome or inconvenient they may be, if we fail to protect a human embryo, even when its presence is uncomfortable and creates difficulties? 'If personal and social sensitivity towards the acceptance of the new life is lost, then other forms of acceptance that are valuable for society also wither away' (Laudato Si’, No 120).
Pope Leo XIV on family, abortion and surrogacy
On 9 January in his address to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See Pope Leo said: The vocation to love and to life, which manifests itself in an important way in the exclusive and indissoluble union between a woman and a man, implies a fundamental ethical imperative for enabling families to welcome and fully care for unborn life. This is increasingly a priority, especially in those countries that are experiencing a dramatic decline in birth rates. Life, in fact, is a priceless gift that develops within a committed relationship based on mutual self-giving and service.
In
light of this profound vision of life as a gift to be cherished, and of the
family as its responsible guardian, we categorically reject any practice that
denies or exploits the origin of life and its development. Among these is
abortion, which cuts short a growing life and refuses to welcome the gift of
life. In this regard, the Holy See expresses deep concern about projects
aimed at financing cross-border mobility for the purpose of accessing the
so-called 'right to safe abortion.' It also considers it deplorable that
public resources are allocated to suppress life, rather than being invested to support
mothers and families. The primary objective must remain the protection of
every unborn child and the effective and concrete support of every woman so
that she is able to welcome life.
Likewise, there is the practice of surrogacy. By transforming gestation into a negotiable service, this violates the dignity both of the child, who is reduced to a 'product,' and of the mother, exploiting her body and the generative process, and distorting the original relational calling of the family.
Postscript
A report on Thursday 29 January says that primary school enrolment in the current school year in the Republic of Ireland is down by 6,470 compared to last year when enrolment fell by almost 4,000 and by just over 2,000 two years ago.
In 2018, when abortion on demand was legalised up to 12 weeks and, in special cases at a later stage of pregnancy, there were 6,666 abortions. In 2024 there were more than 10,000.
I haven't seen any commentaries yet on the clear connection between these two sets of statistics.
Rachel's Vineyard offers healing retreats in many countries for persons affected by abortion.
Second Reading. 1Corinthians 1:26-31
Traditional Latin Mass
Septuagesima Sunday
The Complete Mass in Latin and English is here. (Adjust the date at the top of that page to 02-01-2026 if necessary).
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 9:24-27; 10:1-5. Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16.
Gospel Lectionary of Henry IIIThis illustration of the Gospel shows the labourers working in the vineyard and receiving their wages.
For the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard (Matthew 20:1; Gospel).
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