“When you have done all you have been commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.’”(Luke 17,7) This gospel reading reminds us that there are basic, fundamental requirements in the life of every disciple. We are all called to be servants of a loving God of mercy, a God of life and love. We are called to serve God by imitating his Son Jesus in spreading the gospel of mercy, the gospel of life and the gospel of love. God is the creator and source of life for all people and we are called to respect and protect that life that he has created and gifted us with. As children of God who have received the gift of life and a new life in Christ, we are obliged to spread the gospel of life to all people. Every disciple of Jesus is obliged to serve our brothers and sisters in love. These brothers and sisters include the preborn and the elderly, the handicapped and the incarcerated, all human persons have a right to life and all human persons are subjects of God’s tender mercy and love.

“How long, O Lord?” Like the prophet Habakkuk we cry out to God for justice for those who suffer the violence of a culture of death. “Destruction and violence are before me.” After forty years of abortion and the death of over 55 million unborn children we question whether our prayers are heard and whether our sacrifices have born any fruit. God exhorts us through the prophet to remain patient and to keep faith. “For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint; if it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late.” We cannot give up hope that one day our society will have a change of heart and will recognize the rights of preborn children and others who are suffering to live and the opportunity to experience God’s mercy.

What does it mean to open our hearts to life? It means to search our souls and acknowledge our deepest longing for Christ’s love. Though we are capable of sins against human life such as abortion, assisted suicide and euthanasia, we are not beyond Christ’s mercy. It is important for us to know and share with others that Christ’s forgiveness is offered even to those who have taken another person’s life, if they are truly repentant of that act.

Archbishop Sean O’Malley writes, “Opening our hearts to life in Christ empowers us for loving, merciful action toward others. We must give witness to the Gospel of Life and evangelize through our lives. We must personally engage others and share the truth about human life. We must continue to show love and mercy, especially with those who have been involved in abortion. All members of the Church can bring healing to the world by upholding the beauty of human life and God’s unfailing mercy. Only a tender, compassionate love that seeks to serve those most in need, whatever the personal cost, is strong enough to overcome a culture of death and to build a civilization of love.” In our service of Christ and his kingdom we are called to put aside our personal preferences and viewpoints and to “put on Christ” in our witness to the gospel message of love and life. We build a culture of life and a civilization of love through a consistent witness of mercy and love.
Changing hearts and redirecting a culture of violence and death takes time and commitment. We may not see the change or the results of our labors in our lifetime but we have to trust that God is able to use our efforts to accomplish his plan and vision for humanity. Our Lord doesn’t want us to be discouraged by lack of results or lack of personal recognition. We are obliged to give a consistent and persistent witness to the culture of life each day in our interactions with others. Even when the task seems overwhelming and the progress seems slow and inconsequential we need to push on in faith and trust in the Lord. St. Teresa of Calcutta would remind us that God does not ask us to be successful but he does ask us to be faithful.