Sunday, October 27, 2013

40 Days For Life: DAY 33: Good media coverage

40 Days for Life
Dear Deacon John,
 
At the start of this campaign, I spoke to a priest after an event. "What a joy to hear about abortion workers converting," he said. "But when will the media convert?"

While I do believe in miracles, the reality is that the media is not always favorable to pro-lifers. On the other hand, we are seeing great local news coverage of 40 Days for Life events.
 
TV viewers in many cities are seeing for themselves what 40 Days for Life is -- and what it is not. The media is showing the peaceful positive impact the campaigns are having at the local level. Here are two quick examples.
 
Rochester, Minnesota
 
The Rochester 40 Days for Life campaign drew two TV stations – and I’m going to post links to both reports since they feature different angles.
 
KAAL-TV, the local ABC affiliate, interviewed Paula, the local 40 Days for Life coordinator, who spoke of the silent suffering she experienced after having an abortion when she was 18. “You feel very isolated and alone," she said.
 
Click below for a link to the story and the video:
 
 
A Planned Parenthood representative offered the usual talking points about how “Planned Parenthood does more in one day than protesters do in a lifetime." This, of course, is the organization that aborted 333,964 babies in one year alone.
 
KTTC-TV, the NBC station in the area, also covered the event, and interviewed Bishop John Quinn of the Winona Catholic diocese. He came to pray with the volunteers – and brought along a group of seminarians, hoping to show these future priests the importance of speaking out on behalf of the babies.
 
Click below for a link to the story and the video:
 
 
Columbus, Georgia
 
In Columbus, the ABC affiliate, WTVM-TV covered the midpoint rally. The Columbus team emphasized all of the positive options women have locally.
 
"There are other resources available to these women," said Roberta, a 40 Days for Life volunteer. “There are many people that would love to come alongside these women and help support them through their pregnancy, and help them to make a choice for life for their baby."
 
Click below for a link to the story and the video:
 
 
Roberta added that vigil participants are praying that this abortion business – like 41 others before it where 40 Days for Life vigils had been held – would close its doors forever.
 
Here's today's devotional from Fr. Terry Gensemer, National Director of the Charismatic Episcopal Church for Life.
 
Day 33 intention
 
May we absorb the truth that God is paying attention to us, and to each human life, personally and individually.
 
Scripture
 
When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.
 
-- Psalm 8:3-9
 
Reflection by Fr. Terry Gensemer
 
How often we ignore the phrase, "stop and smell the roses" and instead submit to the all too "urgent" task at hand. Is this tendency what keeps us, at least in part, from acknowledging that God's care for His sacred creation is paramount in His own mind?
 
The Psalmist speaks of God's handiwork: the heavens, the work of his "fingers," and then points to God's masterpiece - human life. He declares to us that God is mindful of us. God keeps His masterpiece in His thoughts.
 
God, the creator of the awe-inspiring heavens, is not distracted by the tasks before Him. He is not pulled away, as we might be, by thoughts of something "more important."
 
God is paying attention to and attending to His crowning glory, His masterpiece of creation, which cannot be duplicated or replaced, which surpasses the beauty of all other created things -- the human being.
 
There is no way to adequately describe how God feels about us as human beings. There are no words to fully portray His love, compassion or desire to be in communion with us.
 
Perhaps, the closest we can come, is to contemplate the thoughts of a mother as she gazes for the first time at her newborn child. God cares for Life.
 
We, as His followers, should take time to consider the life He has created and called upon us to love and protect.
 
Prayer 
 
Lord, you are the creator of all things. Guide my thoughts to consider your creation in all of its majesty, beauty and holiness. Guide my heart especially to your creation of precious human life.
 
Help me to comprehend how essential life is in your own heart. Teach me to appreciate, love and protect all human life through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
 
Printable devotional
 
To download today's devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share with friends:
 
 
For Life,
 
 Shawn Carney
SHAWN CARNEY
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
 
PS: As always, if you have news to report from your community's 40 Days for Life effort, please let everyone know! You may leave a comment at today's blog entry: