Pray for Ireland

On Divine Mercy Sunday, you heard Catholic singer and Irish politician Dana Scallon ask for prayers for Ireland.

Now, we ask again for prayers, and urgently.

The isle of saints and scholars is confronting a referendum on whether or not repeal the eighth amendment to the Irish constitution. As Catholic News Agency/EWTN News reports, "The eighth amendment was passed in Ireland in 1983, with upwards of 67 percent voter-approval. It reads, in part: 'The State acknowledges the right to life of the unborn and, with due regard to the equal right to life of the mother, guarantees in its laws to respect, and, as far as practicable, by its laws to defend and vindicate that right.'"

The vote is likely to be a close one, with many voters apparently still undecided.

According to a May 24, 2018 article in The Washington Post, if the referendum passes and changes the Irish constitution, Irish political leadership has committed to "pass a new law guaranteeing unrestricted abortion up to 12 weeks" ("Ireland votes on its abortion ban, a 'once in a generation decision'," by William Booth and Amanda Ferguson).

The pro-choice side argues that philosophers and wise men still debate when life begins. And yet a number of biology textbooks venture to be very clear. For example:

"Human development begins at fertilization, approximately 14 days after the onset of the last menstrual period ... when a sperm fuses with an oocyte to form a single cell, the zygote. This highly specialized, totipotent cell marks the beginning of each of us as a unique individual."
(Keith L. Moore, The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology, 10th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier, 2016. Kindle Locations 739, 1094.)

"Human development begins at fertilization when an oocyte (ovum) from a female is fertilized by a sperm (spermatozoon) from a male."
(Keith L. Moore, Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology, 9th edition. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier, 2008. Kindle Location 555.)

So in this referendum, lives are at stake. The conscience and soul of a country are at stake. And the teaching of the Church is completely clear.

Among all the crimes which can be committed against life, procured abortion has characteristics making it particularly serious and deplorable. The Second Vatican Council defines abortion, together with infanticide, as an "unspeakable crime". ... Especially in the case of abortion there is a widespread use of ambiguous terminology, such as "interruption of pregnancy", which tends to hide abortion's true nature and to attenuate its seriousness in public opinion. Perhaps this linguistic phenomenon is itself a symptom of an uneasiness of conscience. But no word has the power to change the reality of things: procured abortion is the deliberate and direct killing, by whatever means it is carried out, of a human being in the initial phase of his or her existence, extending from conception to birth. - St. John Paul II, Encyclical Letter Evangelium Vitae (The Gospel of Life), March 25, 1995, 58.

So pray, children of God, for Ireland. Pray that they prove themselves once again the isle of saints and of scholars. Take up the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, veneration of the Divine Mercy Image, and remembering the Passion of our Lord at the Hour of Great Mercy (3 p.m.), all with the intention of the defense of human life, especially in the Irish referendum. Take up the spiritual sword of the Rosary; offer your Communion and Masses for Ireland. Ask the intercession of the great Irish saints, of Sts. Patrick, Brigid, and all their brethren.

Pray and fast for Ireland. Pray and fast for the unborn. Pray and fast for the women who face hardships such that they even contemplate abortion, and pray for the coming of a culture of life throughout the world, leading to a civilization of love and mercy.

Pray. We are our brother's keeper. We are called to a witness and intercession for the victory of life and love. Let us answer the call, the challenge of our times, and be glad that we are blessed with such an opportunity.

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In his homily today, Fr. Chris Alar, MIC, director of the Association of Marian Helpers, addressed the referendum in Ireland:

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