Vatican City, July 17, 2013 (Zenit.org)
Pope Francis sent a message today to the Catholics in Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales on the occasion of the Day for Life. The event will be celebrated in Scotland, England and Wales on July 28th and in Ireland on October 6th.
The Pope’s message which was sent by Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the Vatican Secretary of State, was published today in a press release sent by the Catholic Bishops Conference of England in Wales (CBCEW.
Referencing the teachings of Saint Irenaeus which states that “glory of God is seen in a living human being,” Cardinal Bertone stated that Pope Francis encourages all Catholics in the region to “let the light of that glory shine so brightly that everyone may come to recognize the inestimable value of all human life.”
“Even the weakest and most vulnerable, the sick, the old, the unborn and the poor, are masterpieces of God’s creation, made in his own image, destined to live for ever, and deserving of the utmost reverence and respect,” the message stated.
Cardinal Bertone also assured the Holy Father’s prayers for the Day for Life, expressing his that they “will help to ensure that human life always receives the protection that is its due, so that ‘everything that breathes may praise the Lord.”
Life is Worth It
According to the CBCEW, over half-a-million leaflets on the Day for Life have been distributed to parishes in preparation for the event. The theme, “Care for Life – Its Worth It” was taken from a homily by then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio in 2005 to mark the feast of Saint Raymond Nonnatus, “the protector of Pregnant Women.”
“All of us must care for life, cherish life, with tenderness, warmth…to give life is to open (our) heart, and to care for life is to (give oneself) in tenderness and warmth for others, to have concern in my heart for others,” the future Pope said in 2005.
“Caring for life from the beginning to the end. What a simple thing, what a beautiful thing… So, go forth and don’t be discouraged. Care for life. It’s worth it.”
The Catholic Bishops Conference stated that “this year’s Day for Life focuses on care for unborn children and their mothers; care for people who are elderly and care for those who are suicidal and their families.”
THE CONCHO PADRE POST 
Scripture commentary for Friday of the 15th Week in Ordinary Time
Today’s Readings from the US Conference of Catholic Bishops
The field of grain that Jesus and his disciples were going through was probably wheat. They would rub the grains in their hands to free them from the outer shell so they could eat them. They did this on the Sabbath which was the day of rest. The Pharisees were always on the watch to find something to condemn Jesus. They pointed out to him that his disciples were breaking the Sabbath day of rest by their actions: “…on the seventh day you must rest even during the seasons of plowing and harvesting” (Ex 34:21). They were overly strict when they considered the disciples to be harvesting the wheat. The law also said, “When you go through your neighbor’s grain field, you may pluck some of the ears with your hands, but do not put a sickle to your neighbor’s grain” (Deut 23:26).
We must be careful not to be overly strict in interpreting God’s laws. Having compassion for others’ needs is also important. That is also a requirement of God’s law: “Love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom 13:10).
In attempting to loosen up the Pharisees from being overly strict, Jesus pointed out to them an incident in King David’s life when he and his men ate “the bread of offering” which only the priests could lawfully eat (1 Sam 21:1-7). This was allowable because David and his men were hungry—just as were Jesus’ disciples. Jesus also pointed out that for a special reason the priests break the Sabbath law in order to minister in the temple. In doing this sacred work they were perfectly innocent of any wrongdoing.
What did Jesus mean when he said, “…something greater than the Temple is here?” Jesus is the new and greater Temple of God (Jn 2:19). If the priests of the Old Testament could serve in the Temple on the Sabbath and remain guiltless, so can Jesus’ disciples work with Jesus on the Sabbath and remain sinless.
External sacrifices are meaningless when the heart of a person is not in them. The sacrifice must be an expression of the heart’s desire for it to have worth and be acceptable to God.
The Pharisees focused too much on the extra rules they added on to the law to the detriment of the respect and mercy due to persons. Jesus is saying that they need to start having merciful hearts for people and their human needs. They ought to focus their concern more in that direction than trying to catch them breaking the endless rules that they fabricated. They need to be more humane in their treatment of others. Jesus quotes Hosea 6:6 to show that God’s word supports his interpretation and reason for acting the way he did: God desires mercy.
As a Son of Man (who is also divine: Dan 7:13-14) Jesus has the authority to interpret the law: he interprets it in a merciful way. The Sabbath law does not oblige a person to go hungry in order to keep it.
From comelordjesus.com