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12th Sunday in Ordinary Time A 2026

Father’s Day & Day for Life

Today, we pray and give thanks for our fathers, grandfathers, godfathers and those who exercise a fatherly role in our life. Our fathers are to be the ‘priest’ of the domestic Church (the family), leading the family in prayer and teaching their children how to live a virtuous life. Above all, on this ‘Day for Life’, we pray that our fathers will always act to protect the innocent and the vulnerable, showing us that every human person has an innate dignity, that they are chosen, called and consecrated by God and given a vocation that will give him glory and contribute to human flourishing in some unique and profound way.

Archbishop John Sherrington of Liverpool, the lead bishop for Life invites us to reflect on the Feast of the Annunciation, that Mary’s Yes brought the Incarnation into being. It was, therefore, at Nazareth (not Bethlehem) that the Word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us, for life begins at conception. As Archbishop John reminds us, ‘God chose to enter the world as an unborn child, embracing the fullness of human existence from its earliest stage. His coming reveals that at every point of development, the child in the womb is a unique and irreplaceable human person. This truth is now even reflected in certain civil procedures such as the granting of baby loss certificates to bereaved parents who lose a little one during pregnancy.’

On this ‘Day for Life’ we reflect on the humanity of the unborn, that from conception everything required for human life already exists and from that moment of conception, God infuses a soul. This means that a unique person who will never be again now exists, a life to be cherished, nurtured and nourished – never discarded.