Dear Deacon, I'm in the San Diego area today, and looking forward
to meeting a lot of people at a couple of events here.
But I'm also thinking about what’s going on with
40 Days for Life eight time zones away. 40 Days for Life has spread rapidly through England
over the past two years. Despite persecution and
attacks from the media and a highly secular culture,
the peaceful prayer vigils are having a HUGE effect.
Here are just a few examples.
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MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND
----------------------------------------------------- 40 Days for Life volunteers held a prayer service in
front of the abortion facility, with group and
individual prayer, testimony and hymns. After a time,
a woman came out of the building to complain. She said the local organizer had agreed that it would
be a "silent protest" during operating hours, and that
the volunteers "were causing great distress to her
vulnerable clients and disrupting her work." She said
if it continued, they would take further action. "There is, of course, no agreement between myself and
the clinic for a silence-only prayer vigil and never
will be," said Andy, the local coordinator. "The
police visited us during our halfway service outside
the clinic and told me he had no problem with us
singing and praying ... he wished us a good night's
singing and left." Andy said he is amazed that the vigil has had such an
effect on the abortion center. "I didn't expect us to
be where we are now so soon into the first campaign!" To see a photo of the Milton Keynes vigil, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3618
-----------------------------------------------------
LONDON, ENGLAND
----------------------------------------------------- Tony, who was praying at the 40 Days for Life vigil
on London's Brixton Street, watched as a couple left
the Marie Stopes abortion facility and said they were
keeping their baby. "The man was in tears of joy,"
he said, "and the woman had a huge smile." The couple described their experience inside as
"horrible" and "in fact they were dying to get away." They said the staff discussed problems that could
develop with a high-risk pregnancy, and did so in
rather insensitive terms. The man responded with some
choice words and they both exited the building. "It seems no one talked to them before they went in,"
Tony said, "so it seems the prayer works even without
the chit-chat first, which is great!"
-----------------------------------------------------
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
----------------------------------------------------- "I am happy to announce that three more mothers have
changed their minds," said Aline in Birmingham. The first mother changed her mind after seeing the
ultrasound of her baby. She saw her child and decided
she could not have the abortion. This had an immediate
effect on another mother, who decided to keep her baby
as well. "The third expectant mother was approached by a
volunteer who made her aware of the consequences of
abortion," Aline said. Still, this woman and her
boyfriend went in anyway. "But after a while, they
walked out happy and stopped to thank the volunteer
who had spoken to her."
-----------------------------------------------------
OXFORD, ENGLAND
----------------------------------------------------- The campaigns in the UK have most assuredly gotten
the attention of those who support legal abortion.
There's even an online petition inviting vigil
participants to leave the pavement and go home. A column in the British edition of the Huffington
Post bears the title "40 Days of Lies." The content
is as you might expect: "Certainly the tactic of
intimidating clinic staff, patients and landlords
until a clinic is forced to shut down won't wash
in the UK." Robert in England sent a photo of some of the prayer
volunteers at Oxford’s first-time 40 Days for Life
campaign, including three children ... two of whom
are in strollers. A picture is indeed worth a
thousand words. To see the photo, go to: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3618
Here's today's devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone,
national director of Priests for Life...
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DAY 30 INTENTION
----------------------------------------------------- That those tempted to abort may understand that their
child is already present, and already a real person.
-----------------------------------------------------
SCRIPTURE
----------------------------------------------------- And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of
Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth
was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said,
"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the
fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For
indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded
in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. -- Luke 1:41-44
-----------------------------------------------------
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone
----------------------------------------------------- Jesus not only loves unborn children -- He was one
himself! Think about this for a moment. We often hear people speak of a pregnant mother by
saying, "She's expecting a child." Now if one is
expecting a package, the package is not yet there. As
reflected in our verse for today, however, this is
not the case with the mother. Her gift is already there. The pregnant woman, a
mother already, does not have a child "on the way,"
but has a child, already present and in full
possession of his or her human rights, starting with
the right to life.
-----------------------------------------------------
PRAYER
----------------------------------------------------- Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of
every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of
every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your
own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send
your protection upon every child still in the womb,
and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that
comes from welcoming the gift of life. We pray
through Christ our Lord, Amen.
-----------------------------------------------------
PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
----------------------------------------------------- To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2012day30print.pdf ----------------------------------------------------- For Life, Shawn Carney
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life PS: Have you had an experience with 40 Days for Life
that has had a deep impact on you personally? If
you have, please share your story by leaving a
comment on today's blog posting at: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3618 40 Days for Life 10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
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22408
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