Dear Deacon John,
As
this 40 Days for Life campaign comes to the end, we are reminded that
the injustice of abortion is not an isolated occurrence that has no
impact on us. It not only impacts us ... but generations to come.
I want to thank you for all you’ve done these past 40 days to pray, fast and act to end abortion in 253 locations (including these volunteers in Canton, Ohio).
I want to thank you for all you’ve done these past 40 days to pray, fast and act to end abortion in 253 locations (including these volunteers in Canton, Ohio).
The children who were scheduled to be aborted this campaign — and are alive today — will be living witnesses in a culture that has forgotten that life is sacred. Here are a couple of stories that illustrate this point.
Alexandria, Virginia
A woman pulled into an empty parking lot near the 40 Days for Life vigil in Alexandria – and waited there for about 30 minutes. Finally, she got out of the car … and approached one of the vigil participants.
She said she knew exactly why people were there praying. When she was 21, she had a low-income job, had little money – and learned she was pregnant. The child’s father was supportive, however – and asked her to pray about it. He said it was they who had made a mistake – it certainly wasn’t the baby’s fault – and they could get through this.
The woman was shaking as she spoke. She then took out her phone and showed a picture of her daughter, who is now 21 years old herself. This was her only child – she was never able to have others. “She is so grateful and happy for having chosen life,” the vigil participant said.
“She works in the area and has been watching us during the campaign,” the volunteer said. “She wanted us to know that what we are doing there on the sidewalk really matters.”
Nashville, Tennessee
A woman drove up to the 40 Days for Life vigil in Nashville and rolled down her window. She noted that people had prayed outside this abortion center for quite some time, and that was a good thing.
At one point in her life, abortion seemed like the right thing to do. “I came here a couple of years ago,” she said, “and because of the people praying here … I now have him.”
“She turned to the back seat,” said one of the vigil participants, “where a little toddler was making sweet noises. I was so astonished. This joyful news was in such contrast to the gloom and ugliness that is the abortion center.”
Beyond that, this volunteer was pretty much speechless. “All I could do was thank her. The young woman had a beautiful smile; she was lovely and happy and full of appreciation for those of you who were here about two years ago. May the Lord Jesus be praised forever and ever!”
Today's devotional is from Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.
Day 40 intention
Let us keep our eyes fixed on the New Jerusalem, where death will be no more.
Scripture
"He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!"
— Revelation 21:4-5
Reflection by Fr. Frank Pavone
Every activity we undertake in defense of the sanctity of life is prophetic, inasmuch as it points to the day when "death will be no more."
Every victory we have when an act of abortion is prevented is prophetic of that day when death itself will be definitively conquered.
Every triumph of grace in this world, whereby someone is brought to see the value of life and given the strength to welcome it, is a breaking into our history of that definitive future in which the old order of things will have passed, and all things will be made new.
As pro-life warriors, we must keep our eyes fixed on heaven, and our hearts secure in the hope that the day is coming when all evil will be conquered.
It is the future that shapes the present; it is victory that informs the battle; it is the destination that determines the journey.
Daily, we are called to reflect on heaven.
When we weep, we are to think of the day when every tear will be wiped away.
When we face the destructive power of death, we are to think of the day when death is swallowed up in victory.
When we labor against abortion, we are to think of the day when we will have the rest and peace of the final triumph of life.
Heaven is as real as earth, and its joys will be as real as our present sorrows.
Prayer
Father, you are the God of hope. Your word fills us with the vision of the world to come, when every tear will be wiped away, and death will be no more.
Father, how we need that hope, how we are strengthened by that vision! Keep our hearts focused on heaven, and diligent in the labors of earth.
As we struggle against the culture of death, root our souls in the assurance of victory. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Printable devotional
To download today's devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/
For Life,
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SHAWN CARNEY
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
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http://40daysforlife.com/blog/
