Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time - Cycle A

Celebrant: With joy and hope, we present our petitions to our generous and loving Father: 

Deacon/Lector: 

For the Church of God, that she will joyfully proclaim and live the faith of Christ in the world, we pray to the Lord… 

For all Church ministers, that they may serve the people faithfully and with conviction for the truth, we pray to the Lord… 

For all God's people, may they use their many talents to proclaim the sanctity of life in the arenas of business, media, the arts, and politics, we pray to the Lord...

For mothers and fathers who await the birth of their child, that God might fill their hearts with an ever-deepening love each day, we pray to the Lord… 

For the dead and all those who mourn, may they be comforted by the promise of new life in Christ, we pray to the Lord… 

Celebrant:

God of mercy and compassion,
hear our prayers and always assure us
of your presence in our time of need. 
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

A pregnant woman is fully a mother. She does not have "half" a child, or a child "on the way." ("On the way" from where? to where?) The child is here, already in the world, fully unique and in possession of the same dignity as every other person. We all use these expressions from force of habit, and using them has no reflection on the strength of our pro-life convictions. If our language reflects this reality, we will help the world to understand that children in the womb are indeed members of the human family-right here and now! - Correct Language About Pregnancy and Abortion, Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life

Prv 31:10-13, 19-20, 30-31
1 Thes 5:1-6
Mt 25:14-30 or 25:14-15, 19-21

View a video with homily hints

We all have talents, the use of which will be judged at the end of time. In preaching about the use of our talents in a fruitful way, we can preach about the wide variety of talents that are applied to the effort to defend and promote the sacredness of human life. A wide variety of activities comprise the pro-life movement. People provide alternatives to abortion, legal advice, counseling, medical services, adoption services, employment searches, housing, education and the many other services of pregnancy help centers accessed through hotline numbers and websites. There is also the wide range of healing ministries for those who have had abortions. Moreover, the pro-life effort is advanced through research, medical expertise, litigation, lobbying, media work, writing, speaking, grassroots activism, and much more. In short, there is room for everyone in the movement. The greatest fruit of our talents would be to be able to present to the Lord the lives saved through our efforts.