Dear Deacon I'm fresh from a visit with a wonderful group of
volunteers at the 40 Days for Life vigil in St. Paul,
Minnesota -- and I’ve got great news today. One of our main prayers during these 40 days is that
children scheduled for abortion will be spared through
prayer, fasting and God's love being shown in the
public right-of-way outside the abortion centers. On the very first day of the campaign, God has already
answered those prayers -- and shown again that your
peaceful efforts are worth it. I hope you're encouraged by these early blessings
from a diverse group of locations -- England, Texas
and Oregon.
-----------------------------------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
----------------------------------------------------- There are THREE 40 Days for Life locations in the
greater London area, and God has ALREADY provided a
huge blessing at the vigil site on Whitfield Street,
where volunteers are praying outside a Marie Stopes
abortion center. Stuart got a call from the Good Counsel Network with
the news. One of the counselors at the vigil site had
spoken to a young woman, who became convinced that
abortion was the wrong answer. The woman, he said, "is a foreign national, so as well
as offering her help, we will put her in contact with
other mothers from her country we have helped before." Stuart is asking volunteers to pray each of these
40 days that an abortion center in England will close
its doors forever. He also sent a photo of the 40 Days for Life vigil,
taken around 12:15 am on Day 1. To see the picture,
go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3273
-----------------------------------------------------
DALLAS, TEXAS
----------------------------------------------------- Close to 250 faithful gathered at a city park across
the street from the Dallas late-term abortion facility
where the 40 Days for Life vigil is taking place.
Kickoff rally participants signed up for vigil hours
while visiting with local pro-life ministries at
tables set up throughout the park. The rally began with praise and worship, followed by
remarks from area pastors. Dave Sterrett, who serves
on the 40 Days for Life board of directors, gave the
keynote talk. "A couple of special messages resounded throughout the
evening," said Lauren Muzyka of the 40 Days for Life
national team. "Speakers highlighted the special role
that men play in defending the gift of life, as well
as the hope we have in God -- that He is big enough to
conquer and end the evil of abortion in our land." To see a picture of the Dallas event, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3273
-----------------------------------------------------
KLAMATH FALLS, OREGON
----------------------------------------------------- Diane said it was a beautiful day for the kickoff of
Klamath Falls' first 40 Days for Life campaign -- but
a tad windy, perhaps, as campaign literature "wanted
to take flight." The group gathered on the steps of the Government
Center, with a number of churches, a pro-life
pregnancy center and Oregon Right to Life represented. "We started with music and speakers at the Government
Center, then walked around the building and across
the street to the vigil site for a brief talk," she
said. "We closed with a group prayer for the vigil
and sang Amazing Grace." For a photo of the Klamath Falls event, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3273
Here's today's devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone,
national director of Priests for Life... -----------------------------------------------------
DAY 2 INTENTION
----------------------------------------------------- Pray for those who work in the abortion industry, and
for those who have repented of committing abortions
and have resolved to defend life.
-----------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
----------------------------------------------------- Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into
your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said
this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing
what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this
was a righteous man." -- Luke 23:46-47
-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
----------------------------------------------------- "Those of us who have participated in the killing of
unborn children are the Centurions of today. We have
dropped our swords against the unborn child. Now we
must recognize the depth of our guilt and deal with
the ramifications... To revitalize our humanity we
need to forgive and be forgiven, to reconcile and be
healed." These words come from a brochure of the Society of
Centurions, an organization for former abortion
providers. These words convey in a beautiful and
moving way what is happening across the nation as
hundreds of abortionists and their staff members
experience repentance, conversion, and healing. How does this conversion begin? Dr. Philip Ney
writes, "The factors that changed their opinion on
performing abortions, in the following order of
frequency, were: evidence of the infant's humanity, a
spiritual experience, personal distress, evidence of
the mother's distress, scientific articles, being
accepted as a person, a personal relationship with a
pro-lifer, pro-life pickets." (The Centurion's
Pathway, p. 77). The journey is not easy. But the Jesus who heals us
calls us to face the truth of what we've done, make
restitution where possible, and engage in the hard
work of mending relationships. Let's pray for the
Centurions; may their numbers increase!
-----------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
----------------------------------------------------- Lord, we thank you for those who have repented of
committing abortions and have resolved to defend
life. We too repent and resolve. We repent of every instance in which fear has made us
silent when we should have spoken. We repent of the
ongoing bloodshed in our land, and for thinking that
we can deprive the unborn of protection but keep it
for ourselves. We resolve that we will advance the cause of
righteous candidates for public office, and that we
will be more afraid of offending you by our silence
than of offending others by our speech. We resolve
that we will proclaim your name to the nations,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
-----------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
----------------------------------------------------- To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2012day02print.pdf For Life, Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life PS: If you have stories to share from the first day
of your local 40 Days for Life campaign, please add
a comment at today's blog posting at: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3273 40 Days for Life 10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
Fredericksburg, VA
22408
US
