Friday of the
Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
(Exodus 11:10-12:14; Matthew 12:1-8)
We may recognize the first reading today as what is given
on Holy Thursday when we commemorate the Lord’s Supper. Just like Jesus on the night before he died
and most Jews throughout their history, we hear the story of God’s liberation
of the Israelites from captivity in Egypt.
God accomplished this mighty feat by means of a plague that took the lives
of the first-born of the captors.
Perhaps a recent innovation, contemporary Jews sometimes
include a prayer for their persecutors in the retelling of the story. They recognize how terrible it is for parents
to lose any child and pray that God will ease the suffering of those who
suffered loss on account of Israel’s liberation. Certainly Jesus has us praying for our
enemies in this spirit.
Recently the Texas Legislature passed a bill that will
restrict the number of abortions in the state.
The measure was deeply contested with many people both for and against
the legislation coming forward to promote their cause. We cannot help but be thankful for the
legislation that will save human lives.
But at the same time we should pray for those who opposed it and those
who in despair may pursue dangerous methods of aborting their babies.
