Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children
In today’s Gospel, the religious leaders attempted to challenge Jesus’ authority. They wanted to see if he would follow their interpretation of strict obedience to the Jewish law around sabbath observance. In their minds, God’s Law functioned as the ultimate authority in matters of faith and practice. They expected Jesus to adhere to religious teaching along with all God’s faithful people. The Pharisees and other leaders did not recognize Jesus as the Christ, and so they were blind to the fact that as God, Jesus himself was the ultimate authority. Jesus’ law is the law of love. He turns the challenge back on the religious leaders – is it lawful to do good on the sabbath rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it? Jesus nimbly pushes them to a defining moment. How could a person who professes to love God maintain that the Law trumps love and mercy? Jesus’ example of mercy in today’s text invites us to challenge our own understanding of right living and to grow in being radical disciples of radical love. Let us this day more fully embrace God’s love as the ultimate authority for our lives.
Twice in Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus emphasizes that it’s mercy not sacrifice that he desires. Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do. Go and learn the meaning of the words, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” I did not come to call the righteous but sinners. Then the disciples of John approached him and said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast [much], but your disciples do not fast? (Matt. 9:12-14) . . . I say to you, something greater than the temple is here. If you knew what this meant, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice,” you would not have condemned these innocent men. For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath (Matt. 12:6-8). Throughout the Old Testament scriptures, the prophets condemned Israel for their strict legalism that lacked compassion and concern for others. It’s a very human tendency to become so caught up in doing what’s “right” that we overlook the proper driver, the motivator, for our striving to be obedient. That driver is love. Our motivation should be mercy and compassion.
Today is a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. As we join the Church in prayer this day, let us ask the Lord to show us what seeking his mercy looks like in our quest to uphold the sanctity of life. What does mercy to single mothers look like as they navigate their pregnancies with anxiety and fear? What does mercy look like for families living in material poverty who bring their child into the world and struggle due to lack of resources? Do we have a concern only for the unborn, or also for the newly born who are in need? How can we, as the Body of Christ, come alongside any family in need as together we seek to care for and value all children and families? What about our older adults? How can we express our value for the sanctity of life from the womb to the grave, coming alongside people at each stage of life? The Pharisees looked through the lens of legality; Christ looked through the lens of humanity with eyes of love, mercy, and compassion.
During Communion this past Sunday, I experienced a moment in which I felt overwhelmed by God’s mercy to me, a sinner. I asked God to help me become a more merciful person motivated by his overwhelming and undeserved goodness to me. I pray that this day presents an opportunity for each of us to grow as radical disciples of radical love, recognizing our own brokenness, with deep compassion for our human family and a compulsion to love each of our brothers and sisters as Jesus does.
- Elizabeth Wourms