 Dear Deacon, We can see the finish line from here – so keep going! People are tired, weary … but aware that the need for prayer remains great. And if you haven’t been to a 40 Days for Life vigil yet, it isn’t too late. In fact, today would be a great day to start! Find the location nearest you! SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA  People have come to join the 40 Days for Life vigil from the nearby communities of Daly City, San Ramon and San Bruno – people who “responded YES to praying for the mommies and their babies,” as one team member put it – including mothers and their children … and a group of Catholic nuns.Vigil participants are facing a new challenge, though, as one of the city supervisors wants to expand a bubble zone around abortion facilities from 8 feet to 25 feet – a move that could push the peaceful vigil farther away from the abortion center. The supervisor cited alleged harassment of Planned Parenthood clients in his call for changing the requirements.  "There's no harassment whatsoever," Ron Konopaski, the 40 Days for Life coordinator, told the San Francisco Chronicle“We're here to help the woman in any way we can and save the baby from being killed."“We are working with Life Legal Defense Foundation,” one of the team leaders said, “but need your prayers and willingness to be present with us to stop this infringement of our constitutional rights.” ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI The number of faith communities taking part in 40 Days for Life continues to grow. Caroline in St. Louis sent a link to this video of a prayer hour at the vigil organized by Lutherans for Life. Members of several area Lutheran churches gathered to pray and sing in the public right-of-way outside Planned Parenthood. To watch the short video (it's only around a minute long), click the image below or go to http://40daysforlife.com/  GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN“I went for the first time to a 40 Days for Life Campaign in Grand Rapids, Michigan,” said Mary, who wrote about her experiences on the 40 Days for Life blog. “There were only a handful of people there, but one man’s dedication was truly impressive.” The sun was shining, but it was very cold with a strong west wind – “a day I’d rather be doing something else than stand and pray in front of an abortion clinic with my 14-year-old daughter,” she said. The man she’s talking about took a day off from work to be there. He arrived at 6 that morning to fill a gap in the schedule. “He stayed til 6 pm – maybe longer,” Mary said. He did take a break from time to time – but only if he was sure other volunteers would man the vigil until he returned. “You would have never guessed that this was his first time here,” Mary said, “and I’d bet it won’t be his last either. What an inspiration to us all – especially to my young daughter!”
Today's devotional is from Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. DAY 37 INTENTION We are the defenders of true freedom. May our witness unveil the deception of the "pro-choice" slogan. SCRIPTURE Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. -- 2 Corinthians 3:17 REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life Norma McCorvey (the former Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) used to work at an abortion mill named "A Choice for Women." She now realizes what a cruel irony that title was. She saw first hand, just as pregnancy resource center counselors see, that women don't get abortions because of freedom of choice, but rather because they feel they have no freedom and no choice. They feel trapped, abandoned, desperate and afraid, and have been led to believe that abortion is their only option. As Frederica Mathewes-Green has written, no want wants an abortion like she wants a Porsche or an ice cream; rather, she wants it like an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg. "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." That doesn't mean that the Spirit allows us to do whatever we want or to decide for ourselves what's right and wrong. Rather, it means that the Spirit gives us the freedom to do what is right, the power to choose what is good, when we see it before us and yet feel pulled in the opposite direction. Liberty means that we no longer have to feel doomed to do what we know is wrong. We are the people of the Spirit of the Lord, and when we take action on behalf of life, especially by being present at abortion mills, we are acting on behalf of true freedom, and imparting to those who are in bondage the power to do what is right. PRAYER Come, Holy Spirit. You are the Spirit of freedom, the source of all that is good, the power to do what is right. Fill us, and fill those who are in bondage today, feeling doomed to do what is wrong. Set them free, and help us to hasten them on the road to freedom, where your grace overcomes every temptation. We ask this 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/ Yours for Life, Shawn Carney Campaign Director 40 Days for Life PS: I'm really enjoying your stories of local 40 Days for Life campaigns posted on the 40 Days for Life blog. If you have news to share, please reply to today's entry at: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/ | |||||||||
40 Days for Life
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