Dear brothers and sisters, in few days we are going to witness one of the most moving catholic events in the US. On Monday, January 24^th thousands of youth will gather at Verizon center and other locations to pray for and to witness to one fundamental truth: that life is sacred. That man has been created in the image and likeness of God and that regardless his color, race, religion or age he has to be respected as such.

After, the mass, hundreds of thousands from across the US will march to the Supreme Court to proclaim that the value of life must be respected always and that abortion is evil and is destroying individuals, families and the whole nation.

With the coming of Christ new value is placed on human life. Christ reveals man to himself. In Christ we are made aware that each and every human being is made in the image and likeness of God; that each and every human being is unique, precious and unrepeatable. Each and every human being has an eternal destiny to be with God in Heaven.

But a decline in the practice of the Christian faith has led to increasing attacks on human life in our society today. The American Bishops wrote in 1998:

"We are now witnessing the gradual restructuring of American culture according to ideals of utility, productivity and cost-effectiveness. It is a culture where moral questions are submerged by a river of goods and services and where the misuse of marketing and public relations subverts public life."

The losers in this ethical sea change will be those who are elderly, poor, disabled and politically marginalized. None of these pass the utility test; and yet, they at least have a presence. They at least have the possibility of organizing to be heard. Those who are unborn, infirm and terminally ill have no such advantage. They have no "utility," and worse, they have no voice. Today, when the inviolable rights of the human person are proclaimed and the value of life publicly affirmed, the most basic human right, "the right to life, is being denied or trampled upon, especially at the more significant moments of existence: the moment of birth and the moment of death" (Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life [Evangelium Vitae], 18).

When Christ is valued before self, human life is given its proper respect. When self is valued above Christ human life is endangered.

Listen to what JPII tells us in his Letter to Families of 1994:

“The fact that Jesus, from his very birth, had to face threats and dangers has a certain prophetic eloquence. Even as a Child, Jesus is a "sign of contradiction". Prophetically eloquent also is the tragedy of the innocent children of Bethlehem, slaughtered at Herod's command.

In the Gospel, the proclamation of life, which comes about in a wondrous way in the birth of the Redeemer, is now put in sharp contrast with the threat to life, a life which embraces the mystery of the Incarnation and of the divine-human reality of Christ. The Fathers of the Church frequently call attention to this sublime mystery: "God became man, so that we might become gods". This truth of faith is likewise the truth about the human being. It clearly indicates the gravity of all attempts on the life of a child in the womb of its mother. If a person is exclusively concerned with "use", he can reach the point of killing love by killing the fruit of love. For the culture of use, the "blessed fruit of your womb" (Lk 1:42) becomes in a certain sense an "accursed fruit".

That’s why, dear brothers and sisters, the law of God is univocal and categorical with respect to human life. God commands: "You shall not kill". No human lawgiver can therefore assert: it is permissible for you to kill, you have the right to kill, or you should kill. Tragically, in the history of our century, this has actually occurred when certain political forces have come to power, even by democratic means, and have passed laws contrary to the right to life of every human being. How can one morally accept laws that permit the killing of a human being not yet born, but already alive in the mother's womb?

We are facing an immense threat to life: not only to the life of individuals but also to that of civilization itself. The statement that civilization has become, in some areas, a "civilization of death" is being confirmed in disturbing ways. Was it not a prophetic event that the birth of Christ was accompanied by danger to his life? Yes, even the life of the One who is at the same time Son of Man and Son of God was threatened. It was endangered from the very beginning, and only by a miracle did he escape death.

Nevertheless, in the last few decades some consoling signs of a reawakening of conscience have appeared: both among intellectuals and in public opinion itself. There is a new and growing sense of respect for life from the first moment of conception, especially among young people. "Pro- life" movements are beginning to spread. This is a leaven of hope for the future of the family and of all humanity.

Pope John Paul II recognized that respect for life is an integral part of the Gospel that we are called to believe and proclaim. Every Christian is called to be unconditionally pro-life and to proclaim this Gospel by word and deed. Every Christian is also called to proclaim God’s mercy and love, helping to reconcile sinners to God and the Church.

Therefore, I encourage you, my brothers and sisters, to always pray that the right to life may be guaranteed and protected in our laws again. Pray for all mothers and fathers who are considering aborting their children, that they may recognize in their babies not a threat to their well being but a blessing from our creator. Pray for leaders of this nation that they may recognize that God has entrusted to them the huge responsibility of ensuring equal rights for all the members of society, especially those who don’t have a voice.  And let us pray for each other, that we may always defend and promote life.

Jesus took on our human flesh in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary, was born for us at Bethlehem and died for us in Jerusalem so that our sins would be forgiven and we might have everlasting life. There is no sin too big that God is unable or unwilling to forgive if we repent and turn back to Him. Let us not forget then, that there are many fathers and mothers out there who are suffering because of a bad decision. Let us also reach out to them with this message of love and forgiveness. God is waiting for them, he who is the truth, the way and the life is always waiting with open arms to fill our souls with the healing power of his grace.

The Mass of Christmas Day does not tell us about the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem, as the Midnight Mass did, but instead invites us to reflect on that mystery by means of three great readings: the first, from the prophet Isaiah, the second, from the Letter to the Hebrews, and the third, from St. John’s Gospel.

The prophet Isaiah heralds the coming of the Lord to Zion: Rejoice, and give praise together, O you deserts of Jerusalem: for the Lord has comforted his people (Is 52:9). Commenting on this passage, an author says: “The desert and the steppe rejoice in the prophets and loneliness jumps for joy, blooms like a lily, flows copiously, leaps with great joy and praise, clothes itself with the glory of Lebanon and the beauty of Carmel and Sharon, and sees the Lord’s majesty and the splendor of our God who is coming.” The feast of Christmas is a great consolation, a joy for all of us: the Lord is near, and He has come as a Child. His presence among us is pleasant and full of tenderness, because the Father manifests His goodness with the birth of His Son in Bethlehem. The Lord comforts His people, which reveals His love in a profound way. The Lord is full of compassion for His people, even when we are punished for our sins.

The Prophet Isaiah makes us admire the messenger of glad tidings, the messenger of the Gospel, who proclaims peace, goodness, and salvation. The angels announced peace in Bethlehem, peace on earth to men of good will (Lk 2:14). They also announced salvation: this day to you a Savior is born (Lk 2:11). In the passage of Isaiah, the messenger says to Zion, Your God shall reign (Is 52:7). The kingdom of God begins with the birth of Jesus. It is a Kingdom manifested in a surprising way: this Child, who is born under unfavorable circumstances, does not seem to be a king; however, He is truly the Kingdom of God on earth.

We are approaching the celebration of Christmas and the readings for the last Sunday of Advent show the extraordinary action of God in the great mystery of the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ. It was not our initiative to ask God for this precious gift; moreover, we dare not even imagine such a gift from God. The initiative was His; it was God’s choice to send His Son in human fashion. He did it out of love for us and for our salvation in order to re-establish His presence among us and our communion with Him.

The Prophet Isaiah strongly emphasized God’s prerogative to save mankind when he told King Achaz: Ask a sign from the Lord your God (Is 7:11). The Prophet suggested that the king make this request because it came from the Lord. However, Achaz did not want to cooperate; he did not want to ask God for a sign because he did not want God to intervene in his life. He responded to the prophet: I will not ask, and I will not tempt the Lord (Is 7:12).

Achaz was told to ask for a great sign: either unto the depth of hell, or unto the height above (Is 7:11). While it is unusual to ask God for great signs, Achaz did not trust in the Lord as he should have but instead replied: I will not tempt the Lord (Is 7:12). Although asking for spectacular signs, that is, demanding that God’s will do extraordinary things usually means tempting the Lord, it was not the case here, since the suggestion came directly from the Lord. Feigning piety and fear of God the king completely ignored the Lord’s help and relied only on his own judgment and will-power. This sin is so great that only a wicked mind is capable of engineering it. The rejection of God’s sign by the king was an insult to the Almighty that inevitably led the monarch astray. St. Francis de Sales exclaimed: “O the wretched man! He makes a pretence of showing great reverence, and under color of humility he excuses himself from aspiring to the grace to which the divine Goodness invites him. But does he not see, that when God wishes to bestow some favor upon us, it is pride to refuse? that the gifts of God oblige us to receive them, and that it is humility to obey and follow, as closely as we can, his desires?” (Philothea III, 5).

In one of his letters [41] St. Augustine exclaims: “Is there anything better for us to have in our heart, or utter with our lips, or record with our pen, than this? Thanks be unto God!” God appreciates our thanksgiving very much. Whenever He bestows a benefit on us He desires that we sing a hymn of praise to Him, as the Psalmist did in Psalm 49 when he said Offer to God the sacrifice of praise.

Our Lord Jesus Christ praised the leper who returned to him to give Him thanks for the benefit received and rebuked those lepers who were ungrateful. Forget not the kindness of your backer; he has given his life for you, exhorts the wise man in the Book of Sirach (29:15). To be grateful to God for the benefits we have received from His hands is certainly our duty and our salvation, especially when we give thanks to God for the best of all benefits we have received, mainly, Christ become flesh, and his death on the Cross. Christ is our backer and He paid for us with His blood and His life. We should always be grateful to Him for His great act of mercy.

St. Thomas Aquinas says that in the act of thanksgiving there are three steps. The first is to recognize the favor received, the second to express one’s appreciation and thanks, and the third to repay the favor at a suitable place and time according to one’s means. We should, therefore, exercise ourselves in these steps in order to give thanks to God appropriately for all the benefits received from Him, and in a special manner, for the great gift of the Passion of our Lord. With regards to the first step, we should always recognize in our hearts the greatness of all benefits contained in every mystery of the life of our Lord, by considering, pondering, and acknowledging all the good that comes from them, and by confessing, praising, and serving God with all our strength. With regard to the second step, we should always praise and glorify God with our lips. We should also desire that all created things give praise and glory to God, according to what St. Paul said: Through him (then) let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that confess his name (Heb 13:15). Finally, with regard to the third step, we should try to repay the benefits received by offering to Him our hearts and our good deeds.

St. Bernard invites us to consider the following: do you really understand the benefits of creation, redemption, and vocation? Imagine that Our Lord asks you what He asked the disciples when He washed their feet “Do you realize what I have done for you?” Let us, therefore, not say that we do not know nor understand what God has done for us; if we knew well what God has done for us, mainly, that He became man and died on the Cross for us, then we would need no other motive to melt ourselves in His love and to give our entire heart to Him, and this would be our true thanksgiving.

It is true that God grants His benefits on all; however, we should be thankful to Him as if we were the only beneficiaries. The faithful servant, says St. John Chrysostom, appreciates the benefits of his lord. He thanks him as if he were the only beneficiary and debtor and as if he were the only one to thank him for all the good in the world, as St. Paul thought of himself as the only one in the world to have received Our Lord’s benefits: who has loved me and given himself up for me (Gal 2:20). The sun illumines me as if I were the only one in the world. The fact that the sun illumines others also does not diminish but rather increases the gift that is given particularly to me, since I receive help and good from others, precisely because they are also illumined by the sun. In the same way, the fact that the Son of God became man and died on the Cross for me particularly benefits me, as if this had been accomplished only for me; that others profit from this does not diminish my own profit in any way but rather increases it, because it gives me companions who love me, give me joy, and help me gain merit and glory.

Considering God’s benefits and love in this way will awake in our souls a great love and appreciation for the One who has always loved us with an eternal charity. God does not need our thanksgiving; He needs our thanksgiving only to bestow on us a greater gift; so that we become worthy of better benefits. To give thanks to God makes God keep His promises and bestow more benefits on us. Like the river that goes into the sea as its source in order to flow from it again, so our thanksgiving returns the benefits received from God to their source so that God can bestow on us new and better benefits.