“If anyone causes one of these little ones—those who believe in me—to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.” (Mark 9:42)
A few weeks ago Elise and I went to see the movie “Sound of Freedom”. It is the story of United States Department of Homeland Security agent Tim Ballard who was assigned to discovering and arresting adults who engaged in child pornography and were on the receiving end of child trafficking. A colleague made him aware that he was just barely scratching the surface, leaving millions of children to remain lost in the world of human sex and forced labor trafficking. As well as not addressing those who are responsible for running trafficking operations. In the film it was stated that the United States is the largest consumer of human trafficking in the world. I would strongly urge you all to see the amazing and sobering film. For one reason ,to support this film that was suppressed from release since it was made 5 years ago. And secondly to increase awareness of the pervasiveness of the problem.
There have been just under 65 million abortions in the United States since 1972 (the year Roe vs Wade was passed). Some other statistics:
- 1 in 4 women have had an abortion
- In 2015, approximately 35% of all pregnancies in New York City ended in abortion (CDC)
- For African American women in NYC, more abortions happen than babies born
- 14.4 abortions for every 1,000 women of reproductive age (15-44)
While Roe vs Wade was overturned last year, many states still make it legal to kill unborn children by surgery or medication. Some states, such as Illinois, allow abortions to be committed in some cases up until birth.
Elementary age school children are now encouraged in some schools to question their gender to the point of hiding the conversations and activities from parents. In some cases children are administered hormones that stop the onset of puberty so that they can have time to decide if they should go on other hormones to begin altering the external characteristics of their genders. Some doctors and hospitals will perform surgery to alter the secondary sex characteristics of children under the age of 18.
“Let the children come to me. Never hinder them. Never stop them. Oh let the children come.” (song by James Merchionda and based on today’s Gospel… Matthew 19:13-15)
World Youth Day was begun by Pope John Paul II in 1985 after 300,000 young people responded to the Pontiff’s invitation to come to St. Peter’s Square on Palm Sunday, 1984. WYD has become an annual event since then with 1.5 million people attending this year’s conference in Lisbon, Portugal earlier this month.
It is no surprise that young people today often feel isolated, particularly following the effects of COVID, along with social media becoming larger and larger parts of young people’s lives. One group attempting to offset this isolation is Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio in the US. The Steubenville Youth Conferences are a series of 20 conferences across North America that help teens encounter the love of Christ every summer. Each summer, Life Teen hosts four Steubenville Youth Conferences (ATL, East, Lone Star, and West) with the hopes of strengthening and inspiring teens and youth groups in their collective journeys to Christ. For more info check out their web page.
Pregnancy Care Centers across the United States work to provide resources for women facing unplanned or difficult pregnancies. Both pre-natal and post-natal. Pregnancy diagnosis, nutrition, housing and financial support (and more) make up the assistance PCCs make available to women in a crisis situation giving them time to consider all the options available to them. They also provide post abortive care in many cases. At the center where I volunteer, we also provide parenting classes for men to increase their parenting skills in the care of the children they are responsible for fathering. The goal is to address one of the main reasons women seek abortions. Lack of support in the raising of their children.
In today’s first reading we Joshua addressing the Israelites after he gathers them all together at Shechem. The timing here is that Israel has finished their sojourn in the desert after defeating the Amorites. They have crossed the Jordan into Canaan and has captured Jericho. Joshua had led them to victory after victory, with God leading the way, against tribe after tribe. And now Joshua is close to death. He knows the penchant for the Israelites to turn to false gods. They worshipped the gods of the Egyptians and manufactured a false god in the desert in the form of a golden calf. Joshua tells them straight out that if they choose this route of worship they will surely die. If they choose the one true God, the one that showed them miracle after miracle, they will prosper.
And did the people of Israel remain steadfast behind The Lord? Or did they assume the customs of the people with whom they would dwell? As we know, the tribes in Canaan practiced child sacrifice and is one explanation for the brutality with which the Israelites used against the Canaanites. So what did the people of God decide? The people whom God took as His own , as His covenant people. This verse from Ezekiel reveals the heart of Israel and, in light of the examples I give at the top of this reflection, the heart of many, many today.
On the very day they sacrificed their children to their idols, they entered my sanctuary and desecrated it. That is what they did in my house. (Ezekiel 23:39)
The Israelites combined their worship of God in the temple with the practice of child sacrifice. During Jesus’ time, children had very little value. The apostles saw them as little more than an annoyance to Jesus and themselves. Interfering with the great works they were to accomplish. But Jesus stopped them. Telling them to let the children come to Him. In Matthew he says:
“And He called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:2-5)
When we forget that we owe everything to God. What we have been, who we are and who we are to become. We drift away from His teachings and His commands. We wander away from His care and become swayed by the prevailing culture. Leading, at times, to heinous acts. Jesus tells us to be like children. To be humble and to put our trust in Him who made us and in Him who died for us. Joshua tells the people, and he tells us, that they have a choice.
“…As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.” (Jos 24:15)
