Dear Deacon John,
Great news to start the week! Through the first weekend of this 40 Days for Life campaign, our local teams have reported …
… 26 babies saved from abortion – that we know of!
Praise God!
Every one of these lives represents answered prayers – your prayers!
Norristown, Pennsylvania
Volunteers spoke to
a mother leaving the Planned Parenthood facility in Norristown. “She
had a pregnancy test,” said Rita, the local coordinator, “and is going to keep her baby!”
It was Day 1 of the
campaign – Ash Wednesday – and the counselor who spoke to the woman
said she was leaving Planned Parenthood … and heading straight to
church.
“The Norristown Planned Parenthood is very, very busy,” Rita said. “It was a dangerously bitter cold day today … God bless the faithful prayer warriors who have such warm and loving hearts.”
Montgomery, Alabama
On Day 1 of the campaign, volunteers watched – and prayed – as 20 women arrived for appointments at the abortion center in Montgomery. They knew it would be challenging. Wednesday is abortion day.
The volunteers did have some joyful news to report. Two mothers changed their minds and chose life for their babies. Michelle, the local leader, said “What an awesome way to begin 40 Days for Life!”
“May God continue
to bless our efforts to love the moms and their preborn children,”
Michelle said, “and bring hope to the hopeless.”
Houston, Texas
The Houston Coalition for Life operates a mobile pregnancy help center on the street outside the city’s huge
Planned Parenthood abortion mega-center. While they are able to connect
with many women, the sad truth is that others insist on keeping their
appointments for abortions.
Volunteers spoke to
a woman who came from out of town to have an abortion ... so her family
wouldn’t know about it. “She was extremely upset, but unwilling to come
to the bus and didn’t want to change her mind,” said one of the local
leaders. “She will probably be suffering a lot tonight.”
A second young woman saw the ultrasound of her baby, but is still thinking about abortion. She has had more than one previous abortion.
However, a third
woman who was considering abortion was willing to listen. She is older,
and has a number of children. After seeing her child on the sonogram,
she is now planning to have her baby.
Please keep all of these women in your prayers.
“God uses our visual witness to save lives,” said one of the volunteers. “Come be a part of this union of prayer and action ... working toward an end to abortion!”
Today’s devotional is from Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life.
Day 6 intention
Pray 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 from 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:
Day 6 intention
Pray 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 from 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:
For life,
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SHAWN CARNEY
Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
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