WASHINGTON — Catholics stand up for their unborn brothers and sisters “because the Son of God became one of them,” a priest said at a D.C. pro-life youth Mass ahead of the March for Life.
“God knows us before we were in the womb,” said Father Michael Paris. He added that God “loves each baby in the womb and has a plan for their life, no matter how hard a situation they might come from.”
“We are not accidents. Amen,” the priest said in his homily to thousands of youth gathered for a Jan. 22 Mass at the Verizon Center in Washington. The Mass, organized by the Archdiocese of Washington, followed an early-morning pro-life rally.
The rally and Mass preceded the March for Life, which draws hundreds of thousands of pro-life advocates each year to mark the anniversary of the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which led to the legalization of abortion on demand throughout the United States.
During his remarks, Father Paris, who hails from St. Patrick’s Church in Rockville, Md., referred repeatedly to God’s love for mankind.
He said God “loved us so much that he wanted to become like us. He wanted to feel what we feel and see what we see, to know the joys and sorrows of our life and to even suffer the pain of our sins and die on the cross. Because his love for us is so intense, God’s Son became a man in Jesus Christ.”
The priest explained that Christians know God “loves us and has a plan for each of us,” because “he became one of us; he became an unborn baby in the Virgin Mary’s womb.”
Father Paris cited Pope Francis’ words about abortion: “Every child not allowed to be born, but unjustly condemned to be aborted, has the face of Jesus Christ.”
The priest said that abortion “cannot stand” if every person believes that God loves them, became a man and died for them.
“But how can we help the world around us understand?” he asked. “We are so young, so weak; the culture of death is so strong.”
The priest noted the Mass reading from the Book of Jeremiah, in which God tells the prophet not to say, “I am too young.”
“To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you,” Father Paris quoted God telling Jeremiah.
The priest told the young people that God loves them and has a plan for them.
“Whether you are a courageous cardinal or a shy middle-schooler, you got this,” Father Paris said. “The Holy Spirit will give us everything we need. We can help the world understand that no one is an accident, all have a purpose and are loved, because each person has the face of Jesus Christ.”