 Dear Deacon, Before I take a break, I do want to thank you for all you’ve done the past 40 days … and to let you know that we are aware of … … 554 babies spared from abortion through God’s mercy these past 40 days! Those are 554 stories of children -- made in God's image and likeness -- who were so close to becoming another statistic. But because of your prayers, and your courage to be there for their moms, they have life. It is in this spirit of thanksgiving -- for their lives and our lives -- that we enter into the most important week of the year. This week we hand all of our weaknesses and doubts over to Christ, who takes them to the Cross, overcomes death ... and reminds us that with Him, all things are possible -- even ending abortion. WHITE PLAINS, NEW YORK  Gerald was praying at the vigil in White Plains when somebody walked off with his backpack. But before he could get too concerned about that, he noticed two women heading his way – an older woman and a younger one.The older woman told him they had driven two hours from upstate New York. The young woman had an abortion appointment, but now she is “probably going to have the baby.” She asked Gerald for information about pregnancy services.  That information, of course, was in Gerald’s backpack. But he passed along two pro-life pregnancy hotline numbers that he knew, as well as the web address of the Sisters of Life.The young woman was smiling and said “God bless you” as Gerald waved good-bye. He said he’d been praying about the missing backpack, but “God responded with a much greater blessing!” KALISPELL, MONTANA  Floyd in Kalispell says two babies were saved from abortion. In both cases, the mothers are 16-year-old girls. One of these young women arrived at the abortion center with her mother, her aunt and one of her mother’s friends. Inside, the girl had an ultrasound exam. The technician was telling her that she had a “tissue growth” that they could take care of for her. At that point, the girl’s aunt snatched the sonogram printout from the technician’s hand. “Look at this ultrasound!” She said. “It’s a baby!” “The aunt convinced the young lady that it was in her best interest to have the baby,” said Floyd. “All the ladies left the clinic and haven't been seen since. We have heard that the young lady went to the pregnancy center with her aunt -- and all is well.” ADELAIDE, AUSTRALIA A man stopped his car next to the prayer volunteers and asked where the abortion center was, since his wife had an appointment. One of the vigil participants talked to him, gave him some information … and convinced him to not keep the appointment. A while later, the volunteer saw that same car, around the corner, parked off the side of the road. The man and woman were feeling pressured and confused because the abortionist called to pressure them, asking why they had not shown up for their appointment. The prayer volunteer assured them they were doing the right thing – that God will take care of them, to leave and not to have any second thoughts. The woman was very grateful, and told him God had sent him. They contacted a pregnancy support center, where one of the workers confirmed that they had made a definitive choice to keep the baby. “We at the prayer site are all rejoicing,” said one of the local leaders, “and giving thanks and praise to God for this wonderful miracle of life.” As a bonus ... here is one final 40 Days for Life devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of Priests for Life. DAY 41 INTENTION Pray that the witness of 40 Days for Life bears abundant fruit, and that we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until God welcomes us into the gates of heaven. SCRIPTURE He will wipe every tear from their eyes. On this rock I will build my church; the gates of hell will not prevail against it. -- Matthew 16:18 REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life When we read this verse, we usually think that the Lord is promising that the church, which is His Body, will withstand all the attacks launched against it. Of course, that is true. But when we think about it more carefully, we realize that in a battle, the gates do not run out into the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they stand still to defend the city from the enemy attacking it. So when the Lord says that the gates of hell will not prevail against the church, who is doing the attacking? It is the church storming the gates! The church, all of God's people in Christ, is called to take the offensive, to run into enemy territory, and to gain ground for Jesus Christ. We do not wait for an invitation; we already have a command. We prepare, but we do not wait for circumstances to be perfect; we already have one who has gone before us. During these 40 days, we have stormed the gates. We have taken the offensive. We have pushed forward the boundaries of the kingdom. And we must keep doing so, in numerous ways. Indeed, the gates of hell will not prevail. The gates of falsehood will flee in the presence of truth. The gates of sin will melt in the presence of grace. The gates of death will fall in the presence of the church, the People of Life! PRAYER Father, we praise you. We have heard the voice of your Son, and therefore we can make our voices heard. We have done battle with the power of evil, and therefore we can have compassion on those still within its grip. We have been freed from the kingdom of darkness, and therefore we can bear witness to your Kingdom of Light. May the witness of all your people through these 40 Days for Life bear abundant fruit, and may we begin again each day to storm the gates of hell until You welcome us into the gates of heaven. We pray in the victorious name of Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen. PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL To download today's devotional as a formatted, printable PDF to share with friends: http://40daysforlife.com/docs/ ------------------------------ There's no way I can really express the appreciation I have for everything you've done during this campaign -- your prayers, your participation, your persistence. You provide tremendous HOPE for our future! Shawn Carney Campaign Director 40 Days for Life PS: Any additional stories from 40 Days for Life in your community? Please respond on today's blog entry: http://40daysforlife.com/blog/
| |||||||||
40 Days for Life
10908 Courthouse Road
Suite 102229
Fredericksburg, VA
22408
US
