Replies

I’ll get to the London update in just a bit!

Over these last 38 days, babies have been saved ...
abortion workers have had changes of heart and quit
their jobs ... and two abortion centers have closed
for good.

Guess what? YOU can still be part of it!

It’s not too late to pray at any of the 258 campaigns.
Saturday is usually the busiest day for abortions, so
know that your presence and you prayers are needed —
TODAY!

Please check for a location near you:

http://40daysforlife.com/location

... and, if possible, join the vigil.

LONDON, ENGLAND

Yesterday, I asked for prayers for the London campaign,
as they were holding a major evening vigil in front of
the abortion center — and they were told to expect a
pro-abortion counter-protest.

So here’s a quick update.

“The event was a massive success,” said Robert, the
40 Days for Life coordinator in London. “We had around
400 to 500 ... at least! A really positive vibe and
loads of media interest, too.”

The vigil participants prayed and sang hymns. Even the
media characterized the vigil as “peaceful.” A
pro-abortion group did show up — blowing whistles,
banging drums and chanting slogans. But they had no
apparent impact on the vigil.

Robert sent a picture of the people praying outside
the abortion center — this is one you REALLY want
to see! Please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=3123

Now ... on to the rest of today’s report!

The heart that God impacts the most during a 40 Days
for Life can be your own — just read these stories
from the 40 Days for Life blog. For each of these
prayer volunteers, this is personal.

PRAYER VOLUNTEER #1:

“This Lent was my first experience with 40 Days for
Life. I was very nervous the first day I showed up to
pray with people I had never met. I asked myself who
or what am I afraid of. It was a very good question
to ask myself.

“As a post-abortive woman myself, it was a huge step
to take in honoring my son, who was lost to abortion
in 1976. I am very grateful to God that I was able
to stand there, hold my head up, and pray ... to at
last DO something productive on this issue.”

PRAYER VOLUNTEER #2:

“I am inspired to say, ‘Never to stop fighting for
life.’ I had my first abortion at age 14 and hardly
knew what it meant — then another through the
following years, still not understanding that it
was true lives being terminated.

“When a friend talked me out of a fourth at age 23,
it was the best thing me friend could have done. My
one and only son is now 18 and graduating high school.
It was the best decision I ever made.”

PRAYER VOLUNTEER #3:

“The devotional by Carmen Pate on Day 31 struck a
personal chord with me.

“I was one of those women seeking love and acceptance
wherever I could find it because I was living far away
from God. I, too, was faced with an unplanned pregnancy.

“I, too, wanted to ‘get rid of it’ (the pregnancy)
because it felt like it was the end of my life as I
knew it. It was a devastating feeling at the time.

“My doctor had the good sense to order an ultrasound at
four weeks, where I saw a tiny human heart — a beating
and alive heart. I knew in that moment that I couldn’t
stop that heartbeat. I got the sense that I had a duty
to protect the tiny person growing inside me.

“My daughter is now 13. She has been such a blessing in
my life. So, yes, my unplanned pregnancy was the end of
my life as I knew it. And I thank God daily for that.

“God bless all of you for your dedication and devotion
to preserving life and to loving and praying for the
unborn children and their mothers.”

Day 40 - April 1

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:

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.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life and President, National Pro-life Religious Council