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.
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,
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SHAWN CARNEY
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
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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:
