Prolife Homily, January 22^nd. Isaiah 49:1-6,uke 1:39-56

"Every masterpiece begins with an invisible stroke of the brush before the world ever sees the canvas. Today, the church in the US reflects on the most profound masterpiece of all: human life. In the eyes of our Creator, no life is a 'surprise,' no conception is a 'mistake,' and no person is a 'burden.' From the silent knitting together of a soul in the hidden sanctuary of the womb to the final, quiet breath of the elderly, God is present, naming us and claiming us as His own. Today, we look at what it means to truly cherish the gift that began in the heart of the Father long before it began in the world."

The passage from Isaiah 49:1-6 is one of the most powerful biblical foundations for the sanctity of human life, speaking a universal truth about the origin, dignity, and destiny of every human person.

The prophet declares: "The Lord called me before I was born, while I was in my mother’s womb, he named me."

In our modern world, we often define "personhood" by what a human being can do—their ability to think, to move, or to contribute to the economy. But Isaiah flips this logic. Before the servant had performed a single act, before he had even drawn breath, he was already named and called.

In the eyes of God, our dignity does not begin when we become "useful" or "independent." Our dignity begins at the moment of conception, because that is when God’s specific call for our lives is established. To be "named" in the womb means that every child is not a "choice" to be made, but a gift to be received.

Isaiah uses the imagery of a "polished arrow" kept hidden in God’s quiver.

The womb is the first "quiver." It is a sacred, hidden space where God polishes a new life. Just as an arrow is crafted for a specific target, every unborn child is being prepared for a unique mission that only they can fulfil. When we protect life in the womb, we are protecting the potential that God has carefully crafted. We are saying that the "Archer" knows the right time for that life to be released into the world, and it is not our place to break the arrow before it can fly.

In verse 6, God tells the servant that his mission is not just for a small group, but to be a "light to the nations."

Every life lost to abortion is a light extinguished—a light that might have found a cure for a disease, composed a masterpiece, or simply provided the specific love a family needed. When we advocate for the pro-life cause, we aren't just "pro-birth"; we are pro-mission. We believe that every child has a destiny that reaches "to the ends of the earth."

The Gospel of Luke 1:39-56, known as the Visitation and the Magnificat, is perhaps the ultimate pro-life narrative in Holy Scripture. It is a story of two women, two hidden children, and a God who works wonders in the quietest, most vulnerable spaces of human existence.

The passage begins with Mary travelling "with haste" to see Elizabeth. The moment Mary’s greeting reaches Elizabeth’s ears, something extraordinary happens: "the infant leapt in her womb."

Saint John the Baptist, though still in the womb, becomes the first person to recognize the presence of the Savior. This encounter shatters the idea that a child in the womb is merely "potential" life or a "cluster of cells." Long before Jesus preached on the Mount or performed miracles, He was already a transformative presence. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, acknowledges this by calling Mary "the mother of my Lord." She does not say "the mother of the one who will become my Lord," but recognizes his full dignity and Lordship from the moment of conception.

The Visitation is a beautiful model of how we are called to support life. Mary, though young and facing her own uncertain future, goes to serve her elder cousin. Elizabeth, in turn, offers Mary a sanctuary of affirmation and joy.

Like Elizabeth, we are called to be the ones who welcome both the mother and the child with a blessing, providing the communal support that makes the choice for life a joyful reality. Elizabeth proclaims, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

To be pro-life is an act of profound faith. It is the belief that every child, regardless of the circumstances of their conception, is part of a divine plan. It is the faith that God will provide for the mother and that He has a purpose for the child. When we stand for life, we are standing with Mary in her "Yes"—a "Yes" that changed the world because she trusted that God is the author of life.

Sometimes, the task of ending abortion and building a culture of life feels impossible. We look at the laws of the land or the hardness of hearts and feel small. But the pro-life mission does not rely on our political might; it relies on the God who does "immeasurably more." Every time a life is saved, every time a heart is healed after an abortion, and every time a family opens their home to a child in need, we see this power at work.

This morning, we reflect on the sanctity of life not as a political argument, but as a mission of love. Let’s pray that the Lord may make us aware of the call we have received to be a people who protect the vulnerable, support the frightened mother, and cherish the elderly, proving to the world that every life is a light that deserves the chance to shine.