Right to Life Homily 2024

Mk 10:46-52

Today’s Gospel story about Bartimaeus the blind man is really a story about the courage it takes to come to Jesus and the conversion that happens as well.  All three of these elements are related:  Courage, Closeness to Jesus, and Conversion.

These elements are also a necessary part of our efforts to protect and promote all human life from conception until natural death.  Bartimaeus shows us courage in his vocal perseverance despite those who tried to silence him.  He would not give in to the intimidation and pressure of the crowd around him – He continued to raise his voice even louder to make sure his voice is heard.  Bartimaeus shows us closeness to Jesus in that he readily comes to the Lord when he is being called.  He also shows us closeness to Jesus by choosing to use the gift of sight in order to follow the Lord on his way to Jerusalem rather than return home with his healing and live his life as he wanted.  Bartimaeus shows us conversion when he throws off his cloak; clothing in the ancient world was a symbol of a person’s identity so to throw off his cloak is a way of saying that he was undergoing a change of identity as he draws closer to Jesus. We also see his conversion when Jesus asks him the question, “What do you want me to do for you?” and he responds “I want to see.” Remember that Bartimaeus began by only asking Jesus for Mercy … which would have probably meant some alms to help him get by.  But in the end of the story, Bartimaeus changes his request. No longer does he just seek a momentary handout to keep him comfortable the way he was; rather, he asks for that gift that will change and transform his life so he can be a capable and faithful disciple – He asks to see.

As people committed to the protection and promotion of all human life, we need these same elements of courage, closeness to Jesus, and conversion.

We need courage – because there are so many crowds today who want us to be silent when we speak a message of pro-life.  Political discourse is filled with intimidating speech and malicious accusations.  The truth is that every human life is created by God whether that life be young or old, rich or poor, healthy or infirmed, citizen or migrant, imprisoned or free, born or unborn.  No one’s life is sacred unless everyone’s life is sacred.  It takes courage to speak this pro-life message in a culture that sees death as a solution to problems.  And we must speak loudest on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves. 

We need to come close to Jesus – because he himself is the Lord of life and he alone teaches us what it means to be fully human and fully alive.  When we come close to Jesus then we will love what he loves; we will manifest our love for him in our care for others because they are members of His body and His Holy Spirit dwells in them.  Jesus healed the sick, he didn’t assist their suicide.  Jesus welcomed the little children, he didn’t destroy them in the mother’s womb.  Jesus ministered to both citizen and foreigner.  He knows what it is like to be vulnerable.  He was conceived in the womb of an unwed mother.  He fled persecution and murderous violence as a child and became a refugee in Egypt.  Powerful leaders plotted his death and tried to entrap him to destroy him. He was falsely condemned to a shameful death for the entertainment and intimidation of the crowds.  Come close to Jesus in his vulnerable brothers and sisters and profess him as the Lord of Life in them.

We need conversion – because we all suffer from the diseases infecting our culture.  There are viruses of indifference and passivity that deeply infect us and make us complacent and complicit in the attacks on human life taking place around us … so long as it doesn’t affect us personally.  We have been indoctrinated with the lies of self-worship by which we make ourselves the arbitrators of right and wrong.  We suffer from the misconception that legality equals morality as though legislators were guided by moral values rather than political expediency.  We desperately need conversion because we have become so accustomed to violent attacks on human life that it no longer bothers us so long as it doesn’t involve us.  This toxic disease was perfectly expressed by Bill Maher this past spring when he commented on abortion and he said, “They think it’s murder.  And it kind of is.  But I’m OK with that.”  I’m OK with murder.   Can you possibly imagine those words ever coming forth from the mouth of Jesus?  Indeed, we are so infected with these viruses that we don’t even realize it. We have to look to Jesus to see what true health looks like.  We need conversion because the disease runs deep in our culture and manifests itself in the various symptoms we confront – every visible attack on human life is but a symptom of these underlying diseases.  Conversion will heal the disease. The truth of Jesus will reveal and shatter the lies.  We have to want that healing and want that truth.  When we do, then we will be like Bartimaeus – people who are strong and capable disciples ready to follow wherever Jesus leads.