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Philip Becker's parents had him...

Illustration
Proper 7 | Ordinary Time 12 - C
Galatians 3:23-29
Philip Becker's parents had him institutionalized at birth. He was never allowed to spend a night at their home, they visited him only irregularly, and considered him a potential burden to their other sons if they were no longer alive to look after him. Philip has Down's Syndrome and is now fourteen years old. He can take care of himself, feed his cat, assemble Legos, operate a recorder, and function in a Boy Scout troop. When his parents denied him the right to have potentially life-saving heart surgery, the State of California tried to intervene on Philip's behalf, but lost their case.
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Prayers usually include these concerns and may follow this sequence:

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Creation, human society, the Sovereign and those in authority

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Lord, in your mercy
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