40 Days for Life - Day 4

http://www.40daysforlife.com/getinvolved.cfm?selected=fall2010day04 ^ | Fr. Frank Pavone

[nina0113]

Day 4 - September 25

 

Intention:

We ask God that we may understand the concept of justice, as a gift he gives and as a responsibility that shapes our work.

Scripture:

Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

-- Amos 5:24

Reflection:

Justice, a key theme of the Scriptures, is something God does and that we too must do.

When God intervenes to save his people when they are helpless and in slavery in Egypt, he "does justice." He manifested his justice in the plagues that were sent upon Egypt, whereby Pharaoh was convinced that he must let the people go. Justice is manifested as, in awe and wonder, God's people see the Red Sea open before them, allow them to pass without even getting their feet wet, and then close again to drown their powerful enemies.

God is a God of Justice; he rescues us when we cannot save ourselves. His justice, above all, is seen in Jesus Christ, who, when we could not save ourselves, rescued us from the kingdom of sin, Satan, death, and hell. The mighty work of Christ on the cross and in the resurrection is the perfect manifestation of God as the God of justice.

We, then, are to be the people of justice; we are to "do justice" by intervening to save the helpless in the name and by the power of the God who saves us who are helpless ourselves. That's why we have a pro-life movement; that's why we have a 40 Days for Life Campaign; that's why saving the unborn is our business.

Prayer:

God of Justice, you heard the cry of your people when they were being oppressed in Egypt, and you proved yourself to be the God of justice, who rescues the helpless. You likewise rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, and brought us into the Kingdom of your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who saves us from the power of Satan, sin, death, and hell. Make us people of justice, ready to intervene to save the helpless. Indeed, as your prophets have announced, let justice roll on like a mighty river, to save all who are in need, especially the unborn. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

[nina0113]

THREE ELEMENTS

Constant vigil

The visible, public centerpiece of 40 Days for Life is a 40-day, round-the-clock prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility in your community. Those who are called to stand witness maintain a peaceful and educational presence.

This 24-hour-a-day presence send a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion. It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.

If you do not have an abortion facility or Planned Parenthood office in your town, you can still conduct 40 Days for Life. However, you will need to select a different location which has some strategic significance ... perhaps near city hall, a courthouse, or a highly visible intersection.

Community outreach

During 40 Days for Life, the pro-life message is proactively taken to every corner of your community. This can identify hundreds, or even thousands, of pro-life supporters.

A door-to-door petition and education drive reaches out to every household in your town or city. Informational flyers are distributed in neighborhoods to raise awareness about the local crisis of abortion. Citizens are invited to sign a petition of support for the sanctity of human life, and people are given the opportunity to visibly show their support for 40 Days for Life by wearing wristbands, placing signs in their yards, or displaying bumper stickers on their vehicles.

These people can then be encouraged to pray and join in local pro-life efforts.

Church involvement begins by meeting with local pastors, other church leaders, and members of different congregations. The Body of Christ is invited to pray together and participate in 40 Days for Life, uniting in one focused mission that can save lives and make an eternal impact.

Media outreach is conducted through carefully targeted news stories, talk shows, editorials, and letters to the editor. This enables you to get the pro-life message out to many people who would never see the inside of a local church.

If your community has a college campus, many students can be impacted through an intense 40-day campus outreach. This can consist of flyer raids, sidewalk chalking, petition drives, table displays, and much more.

Local leadership with 40 Days for Life

40 Days for Life is primarily a local campaign. Yes, there is a national team that provides information, resources and encouragement, but all campaigns are based at the local level. Each community knows best when it comes to countering the damage abortion has caused in each individual city and town.

No one is appointed as a local 40 Days for Life leader; in each community, someone must step up and accept the challenge.

The campaign is also a group effort. There needs to be a main coordinator, but there is a whole level of duties and responsibilities that must be filled in addition to the director's position:

• Prayer coordinator
• Vigil coordinator
• Outreach coordinator
• Event coordinator
• Church coordinator
• Communications coordinator
• And possibly others, depending on your local needs.

A line from Scripture comes to mind: "Here I am, Lord; I come to do your will." Please pray for discernment and guidance. 40 Days for Life won't happen without somebody. "Somebody" could be you!

[nina0113]

ping!

[Salvation]

Today's email:

I'm home -- for a few hours, anyway -- following a
whirlwind trip to visit 40 Days for Life locations
in Arkansas and Wisconsin.

I've posted photos on the 40 Days for Life blog ...
so to look at the enthusiastic and dedicated folks at
the campaigns in Fayetteville, Arkansas as well as
Madison, Milwaukee, Green Bay and Appleton, Wisconsin,
please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=1031

I'll be on the road again starting tomorrow, with
stops in Nevada and California. David Bereit, our
national director, is visiting Minnesota today. More
pictures and stories will follow!

Today, of course, is Saturday -- the busiest day for
abortions at many of the facilities where 40 Days for
Life vigils are being conducted. If that's the case
in your city, and you have an opportunity to join
the prayer vigil, please do so.

Your prayers are needed -- urgently!

We're all human and we want to know if our prayers
are being heard. I'd like to tell you a couple of
stories that I hope will offer you proof that our
merciful God is listening to every word.

It had been a long day for Eileen at the 40 Days
for Life vigil in Beaumont, Texas. As she was about
ready to go home, she looked up over the roof of the
abortion center and noticed a rainbow beginning to
form. "There was no rain anywhere," she said.

Eileen and the other volunteers had been praying for
the conversion of the abortion facility staff. "As
we stood there in awe looking and beholding a sign
from God that He would protect us," she said,
"another rainbow formed on top of that one."

The rainbows remained for about five minutes, "and the
color seemed to get darker instead of lighter."

40 Days for Life participants in Chandler, Arizona
received a sign as well.

One of the local coordinators has a van with a "pray
to end abortion" sign on the side. The owner watched
from a distance as a woman drove up to the van, got
out, scribbled a note, and stuck it on the windshield.

They wondered if the sign on the van had prompted a
"nastygram," but that was not the case at all. The
message simply said, "Thank You! Never grow weary!
May God be glorified in the excellence of your work."

"That message was not just for us," said Anita in
Chandler. "That message is for everyone who is out
there praying right now. It's for every person who has
taken the time to stand in the rain, the snow, the
heat or on a very beautiful day, simply to peacefully
pray for an end to abortion."

The bottom line? Keep doing what you're doing!

"You are making a difference," Anita said, "even if
you never see any results. God sees them, and that
is what really matters!

[Kitty Mittens]

God of Justice, you heard the cry of your people when they were being oppressed in Egypt, and you proved yourself to be the God of justice, who rescues the helpless. You likewise rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, and brought us into the Kingdom of your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who saves us from the power of Satan, sin, death, and hell. Make us people of justice, ready to intervene to save the helpless. Indeed, as your prophets have announced, let justice roll on like a mighty river, to save all who are in need, especially the unborn. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

Amen, and Amen.

[wagglebee]

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