Posted on 03/19/2009 1:05:10 PM PDT by Faith
40 Days for Life consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion,
40 days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices
and 40 days of active pro-life community outreach.
Your community may be participating in this prayerful vigil.
If so, please join others in your area
or unite with thousands across America
during the 40 days of Lent
in praying for an end to abortion in this nation.
For the medical community, that the truth they know about the human body may become awe and wonder at the God who made it.
SCRIPTURE
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them.
--Psalm 139:16
REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Human beings -- God's tapestries.
Psalm 139 is a psalm that reveals the enormity and otherness of God. His divine attributes are on display: omniscience (2-4), omnipresence (7-12), loving-kindness (17-18), justice (19-20), righteousness (23-24), and omnipotence.
Yet, when it came to express this last attribute, what example did the psalmist use -- God's creation of mountains, seas, or far-flung galaxies? No, he used none of these.
To express the wonder of God's unparalleled creative power the writer mentions the fashioning of the human in the womb (14-16).
The Hebrew word used to express God's forming of us in the womb, raqam, is the same term for needlework or embroidery.
In other words, we are a tapestry that displays God's artistic mastery.
And, like the artist who knows his creation down to the last detail, God intimately knows us. This reality provokes the writer to awe and wonder. He proclaims, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
What is true for this psalmist is true for each human being.
Each is fashioned by God and known by him and we can proclaim on behalf of each, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
PRAYER
O Lord, help us follow in the footsteps of Jesus.
Gracious God, help us to appreciate the wonder and beauty of Your creation.
Help us proclaim on behalf of every one of our fellow human beings, "I am fearfully and wonderfully made."
May the knowledge that we are intimately known by You shape our lives and actions. Amen.
A child is God’s love gift to us ....
Holy God,
How it must grieve You to see Your people try to rationalize the killing of Your precious children. The lies have been repeated so often that they have been believed even by those who claim to be Yours. The Great Liar stalks about, seeking to deceive especially those who call You Lord. Awaken us from our stupor, Father God, and help us to be alert and vigilant. Give us the strength and courage to stand up and declare that the killing of babies in the womb is WRONG! Inhabit our prayers, Lord, and protect the children, for there can be no compromise with darkness. In the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Absolutely!
I thought about all those people in my past who lived and died so that I could be born ... imagine if just one didn’t survive a plague or war ...
Saint Joseph: Complete submission to the will of God (Pope Benedict XVI) (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
St. Joseph as Head of the Holy Family (Catholic/Orthodox Caucus)
St. Joseph, Patron of a Peaceful Death [Catholic Caucus]
Octave: St. Joseph, A 'Man’s Man', Calling Men to Jesus
St. Teresa de Avila's Devotion to St. Joseph (Catholic Caucus)
Catholic Men's National Day of Prayer, MARCH 15, 2008, The Solemnity of St. Joseph (Catholic Caucus)
The Role and Responsibility of Fatherhood - St. Joseph as Model
St. Joseph - Foster Father of Jesus
Nothing Will Be Denied Him (St. Joseph)
The Heart of a Father [St. Joseph]
Quemadmodum Deus - Decree Under Blessed Pius IX, Making St. Joseph Patron of the Church
Father & Child (An Evangelical Minister preaches on St. Joseph)
March 19 - Feast of St. Joseph - Husband of Mary - Intercessor of civil leaders
St. Joseph's Spirit of Silence
St. Joseph's Humility (By St. Francis de Sales)
St. Joseph [Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary], Solemnity, March 19
The Heart of St. Joseph
MORE THAN PATRON OF HOMES, IT'S TIME FOR ST. JOSEPH TO GAIN HIGHEST OF RECOGNITION [Fatherhood]
The Importance of Devotion to St. Joseph
St. Francis de Sales on St. Joseph (Some Excerpts for St. Joseph's Day 2004)
St. Joseph: REDEMPTORIS CUSTOS (Guardian Of The Redeemer)
(Saint) Joseph the Patriarch: A Reflection on the Solemnity of St. Joseph
How I Rediscovered a "Neglected" Saint: Work of Art Inspires Young Man to Rediscover St. Joseph
Thanks for the wonderful links, Salvation. You are a blessing.
St. Joseph is the one who blessed us by being the Foster Father of Jesus Christ.
Thank you for the link, wagglebee. God bless you!
Yes, and the dedication and love of Joseph is so frequently overlooked. He was a tremendous blessing to the Lord Jesus.
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