With today being the 40th anniversary of Humanae Vitae, Pope Paul VI's encyclical on life which defined the Church's stand on birth control, I offer you a prayer written by Paul VI slightly less than two years before Humanae Vitae.
Christi Matri
Look down with maternal clemency, Most Blessed Virgin, upon all your children.
Consider the anxiety of bishops who fear that their flocks will be tormented by a terrible storm of evils.
Heed the anguish of so many people, fathers and mothers of families who are uncertain about their future and beset by hardships and cares.
Soothe the minds of those at war and inspire them with "thoughts of peace."
Through your intercession, may God, the avenger of injuries, turn to mercy.
May He give back to nations the tranquility they seek and bring them to a lasting age of genuine prosperity.
May we all come to realize that God's ways lead to peace. The disorder and discord of the world are not the result of faithfulness to God. Hedonism, to any degree, is a negation of God.
To turn away from the doctrine of life is to embrace death.
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1 comment:
What a beautiful prayer. Thank you for sharing it here. You are so right when you so boldly state that failure to embrace life is to embrace death. Why is this so hard for our world to see?
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