Recorded history and archaeology have uncovered the sad fact that abortion and infanticide are not modern phenomena. Peoples across the centuries have terminated the life of children in the womb of their mothers and have exposed children already born to death. Whether it was to eliminate children with deformities, to conceal illicit sexual behavior, to avoid the expenses of raising a family, innocent lives have been discarded. Some societies such as the Aztecs, Mayans, and Incans, the Carthaginians, and the Canaanites even tried to appease their false gods by sacrificing their children.

Among the original 13 colonies that seeded our great country, Philadel­phia was the fastest growing city. And it was not without its problems. Benja­min Franklin noted the increasing number of mentally ill and homeless people wandering the city streets. With the help of his Quaker friends, in 1751 he opened the doors of America’s first hospital to care for such people. Homelessness has been a part of our national story from its very beginning.

I am taking the opportunity of this Christmastide to offer you my special gratitude and encouragement for your lives as priests. While the secular world around us strips away its Christmas ornaments, we keep the light of Christmas burning brightly in our churches.