Posted on 02/25/2009 9:35:05 PM PST by Salvation
40 Days for Life campaign is now under way!
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. Here are a few of the ways you can participate:
Excitement high for this spring's 40 Days for Life campaign
At one of those events, in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, spring campaign director Shawn Carney spoke to more than 1,800 faithful people who came out to remember the 50 million lives lost to abortion and to celebrate the accomplishments of 40 Days for Life locally and nationally. The entire 26-minute talk was recorded. Listen to the audio online (click arrow to start audio): Download MP3 (right-click to save file to your computer): http://www.40daysforlife.com/blog/audio/ftwayne.mp3
More than 130 communities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Northern Ireland are hosting 40 Days for Life events through April 5. Please check out the complete list ... and today's devotional.
The pro-life movement is gaining momentum! At national, state and local events, large crowds have been reported at Roe v. Wade memorial events and weve been getting reports from across the country about a heightened level of enthusiasm for the current 40 Days for Life campaign.
TORONTO, March 11, 2009, (LifeSiteNews.com) - This coming Sunday marks the celebration of the 40 Days for Life Midpoint Mass with His Grace Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, at St Charles Borromeo Church at 3pm in Toronto.
Since its sub-zero debut on February 25th, the Toronto campaign has turned out hundreds of hardy pro-lifers from all over the city. So far, several local parishes as well as university student groups have committed to filling in the 24-hour blocks, many of them braving piercing cold and high wind to stand in solidarity with the unborn whose lives are being taken across the street. According to organizers, the public's response to the campaign has been surprising.
"One night we were praying in what felt like 40 below weather and a couple in a van stopped, rolled down the windows and asked if we wanted something warm to drink. Since then I have seen them return on a regular basis with the same offer," said one participant.
Nicole Campbell, Toronto's 40 Days for Life organizer has been impressed by the opportunities for dialogue that the campaign has afforded thus far.
A few days ago, Campbell was at the 40 Days for Life vigil site with some university students when she noticed the arrival of some pro-abortion counselors (from another abortion facility in the city) who took their stations in the place where vigilers typically counsel women going in and out of the building.
After a prolonged, calm discussion, one of the pro-abortion counselors shared that she herself was adopted and she discussed openly how she felt abandoned, even as an adult.
"It was a real eye opener for me. I saw the hurt that propelled this woman to so vigorously defend what she thought was a solution to an unwanted child," Campbell explained. "I told her that there are many couples who are unable to conceive and who would be ecstatic to adopt such a child. At the end of the conversation, the woman offered to buy us a coffee."
Last December, Campbell and several other prospective sidewalk counselors headed to Brooklyn, New York to learn the art of sidewalk counseling from Monsignor Philip J. Reilly, the founder of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants. Since its inception in 1989, The Helpers of God's Precious Infants has been faithfully present to women in need outside of abortion mills. Often referred to as the "father of sidewalk counseling," Monsignor Reilly has been a mentor to hundreds of pro-life groups around the world.
Monsignor Reilly will be visiting the Toronto 40 Days for Life Campaign on April 3rdand 4th in order to offer training in sidewalk counseling as well as bits of wisdom he has accumulated in his nearly 50 years as a pro-life activist priest in New York.
While in Toronto, Monsignor Reilly will be giving a two-part talk, the first of which will take place on the Friday evening (April 3rd) from 7pm to 9pm at the convent of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at 25 Good Shepherd Court (just South of Lawrence Avenue West). The following morning (Saturday April 4th) at 8 am, Monsignor Reilly will be celebrating a Mass followed by a walking procession and prayer vigil outside of the abortion mill at 960 Lawrence Avenue West. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament will be available throughout at the convent for those who are unable to participate in the outdoor portion of the event. Following the vigil, Monsignor Reilly will give another talk from 10:30 am-12:30 pm.
For more information on 40 Days for Life Toronto or Monsignor Reilly's visit, please contact Campaign Life Coalition at 1-800-730-5358
AMEN!
Let us affirm the unborn children by our language.
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SCRIPTURE
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Anyone who says to his brother, "Raca," is answerable to the Sanhedrin... anyone who says, "You fool!" will be in danger of the fire of hell.
-- Matthew 5:22
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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
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Before the schoolyard bully beats up his victim, he calls him names. This is a way to dehumanize the victim, and therefore make it easier to justify attacking him.
In this verse from the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that using dehumanizing language is sinful. "Raca" was an Aramaic term of contempt.
The respect and love we are called to have for other human lives is not limited to action alone; it also has to manifest itself in language.
Professor William Brennan, in his book "Dehumanizing the Vulnerable: When Word Games Take Lives," traces the dehumanizing language used to oppress various groups of people in history, such as our African-American brothers and sisters, or our Jewish brothers and sisters in the Holocaust.
He then shows that the same kind of dehumanizing language is used against the unborn, who have been called "parasites," "tissue," and "medical waste," among other things.
What are we to do instead? We are to affirm one another, including the unborn, with ennobling language that inspires respect and love.
The unborn are precious children, they are our brothers and sisters, they are the image of God. Let us multiply the language of affirmation, as we hasten to the day of their protection!
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PRAYER
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Lord, we ask your forgiveness for any times our words have dehumanized our brothers and sisters.
We also ask you to send your grace to those who speak and write in degrading terms about the children in the womb. Convert those who do not see the dignity of these children.
Loosen the tongues of those who do not know how to acknowledge the humanity and sacredness of these tiny lives.
Keep us all aware of the power of language, and help us to use it rightly in the cause of life and justice. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.
February 25 April 5, 2009
Day 33 292 babies saved
We pray for the conversion of abortionists and all abortion advocates.
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SCRIPTURE
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Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; Put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes.
Cease to do evil, Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; Defend the fatherless, Plead for the widow.
-- Isaiah 1:16-17
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REFLECTION by Rev. Ben Sheldon
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God is just.
Inscribed around the inside of the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, are the immortal words of Thomas Jefferson: "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just."
If the deist, Jefferson, knew in the depths of his being that God is just, how much more ought we Christians to reflect on this profound truth?
The justice of God, like his holiness and his purity, encourages us to seek justice for all people.
It is the evil deeds and wrong, selfish attitudes of our modern society that have led to the cavalier acceptance of abortion and euthanasia.
But, as Jefferson also said, "his justice will not sleep forever."
God is calling us today to seek justice, to encourage the oppressed, and to defend the orphans and widows of our society.
It is a noble calling! It is one which every true believer, every God-fearing man and woman, should heed with no hesitation and no reluctance.
To follow the God of justice and truth is to stand unequivocally for the right to life of everyone, especially the unborn, the physically disabled, and the terminally ill.
God's word through the prophet Isaiah is as relevant in today's 21st century world as it was in Isaiah's 8th century BC world.
May God's grace help us to defend the unborn's right to life as well as that of the already born.
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PRAYER
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O God, our heavenly Father, give us courage and wisdom as we seek to eradicate the evil in our society.
Help us to realize that your divine Spirit alone can change hearts and minds so that all your human creatures may enjoy the fullness of life you intended for them.
I pray this prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior, Amen.
As a companion to the Face the Facts status for today (3/17/09), I wanted to share the following collection of quotes -- a good reminder of *who* we're standing and speaking out for -- from an article on the Cry Action blog:
Already Dreaming?
"By midpregnancy the fetus has begun to explore its own body and environment using its hands. It often holds on to the umbilical cord, and when a thumb approaches its mouth, it will turn and begin to make sucking motions with its lips... The fetus is also using its sense of hearing for orientation. Its most familiar sounds are surely the noises of the mother's digestive system and the swishing from her major blood vessels, but gradually the fetus also begins to perceive the sounds of the mother's world, such as music and the father's voice. The eyes of the fetus are sensitive to light, even though the eyelids are still shut tight..."
-Lennart Nilsson and Lars Hamberger, A Child is Born, 4th edition. New York: Bantum Dell, 2003. p. 141
"Does a fetus see anything? It is known that the eye can sense light as early as the third month of pregnancy. Sometimes when an endoscope is inserted into the amniotic sac, a fetus tries to protect its eyes from the light on the instrument, either by turning away or by using its hands and fingers."
-Lennart Nilsson and Lars Hamberger, A Child is Born, 4th edition. New York: Bantum Dell, 2003. p. 146
"During her odyssey in the womb [a fetus] will smile, recognize her mother's voice and maybe even dream."
-In the Womb, National Geographic, 2005
"One of the many things revealed by the 4D scans is the fact that babies have rapid eye movement sleep. This is a period of sleep when the eyes slicker around behind the eyelids. Later in life, this is an indication of dreaming. This gentle flicker of an eye could be a sign that the fetus, still with a month to go before being born is already dreaming."
-In the Womb, National Geographic, 2005
"Twins, and other multiples, are known for a particular characteristic in utero. Scientists have even witnessed them playing games together... Scientists think their prenatal behavior [carries] over into early childhood."
-In the Womb, National Geographic, 2005
"In the top drawer of my desk, I keep [a picture of my son]. This picture was taken on September 7, 1993, 24 weeks before he was born. The sonogram image is murky, but it reveals clear enough a small head tilted back slightly, and an arm raised up and bent, with the hand pointing back toward the face and the thumb extended out toward the mouth. There is no doubt in my mind that this picture, too, shows [my son] at a very early stage in his physical development. And there is no question that the position I defend in this book entails that it would have been morally permissible to end his life at this point."
-David Noonin, "A Defense of Abortion"
"Never, never will we desist till we . . . extinguish every trace of this bloody traffic, of which our posterity, looking back to the history of these enlightened times will scarce believe that it has been suffered to exist so long a disgrace and dishonor to this country."
-William Wilberforce
"When my wife and I visited the Yad Vashim Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem, we were most deeply touched by the children's memorial. It has 1500 candles, with mirrors designed to reflect each candle a thousand times, representing the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust. We stood in the darkness hearing the names of individual children read one by one.
I was struck by the number, because at the time it was the same number killed by abortion in America each of the previous few years. The fact that most of these children haven't been given names doesn't diminish their worth. I have stood at memorials for the unborn where parents have given names to their children and written them in expressions of love and grief. If we could only hear the names of each of these children whispered to us in the dark, perhaps we would wake up."
-Randy Alcorn, ProLife Answers to ProChoice Arguments. p. 301
Pray that all believers participating in this 40 Days for Life campaign will make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3).
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SCRIPTURE
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And the glory which You gave Me, I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.
-- John 17:22-23
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REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, Point of View
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Christ prayed that all those who would believe in Him would be united in single purpose and spirit, just as He and the Father were united.
I find it convicting to consider that those who would run to Jesus with their sins, seeking forgiveness, and falling in love with the Savior, often run from Christians today.
Is it because they see division and dissension instead of unity and peace?
No doubt Christ is pleased to see the body unified and praying together during these 40 days.
This is exactly what we see when we read about the beginnings of the church. Both the unity and the prayer are conspicuous, along with the results of unified prayer.
Acts 2:46-47 tells us, "So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved."
No doubt the enemy is disheartened to see the unity in prayer, fasting and peaceful vigil, and he will continuously try to disrupt the bond of peace among brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let us guard our hearts and minds, exhibiting the love of Christ that He so graciously gives us, so that those watching will see the love among us and know that He must love them too!
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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, give us grace in every situation to work toward unity. With humility, gentleness, and patience, may we endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
There are hurting men and women Lord at the crossroads of life and death who are looking for love and peace in their lives.
May they see Christ in us and be drawn to the abundant life that only He can give. It is in Christ's precious name that we pray, Amen.
Pray that those who have forgotten their purpose may discover it in God and therefore have the courage to choose life.
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SCRIPTURE
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These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season, what you give them they gather in; you open your hand they are filled with good. You hide your face, they are troubled; you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. You send forth your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.
-- Psalm 104:27-30
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REFLECTION by Vera Faith Lord, Alpha/Omega
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"I am a feather on the breath of God."
As the quote above portrays, we are upheld by the power and purpose of God.
Our very existence on earth, from our body's first breath to its last, when we leave it to return home, is our Father's choice and happens only by His willing to do so.
He who created the universe also created that which is "me." I do not "have" a soul - I AM a soul, as well as a body.
My entire purpose in this life is to find my way back to my Creator.
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PRAYER
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Beloved Father, remind us today that there is no truth but you.
Do not let us fall prey to the evil one's lie that we may choose death.
Remind us right now that you, who created all life, are in control of all life, and let us know right now that you who created all life, are in control of all life, and let us choose life always.
Father, please let us hear your voice more today than yesterday.
Keep lighting the pathway home, for us and for all who participate in this 40 Days for Life campaign.
Father, we're on our way. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
Thanks, Salvation
We are the defenders of true freedom. May our witness unveil the deception of the "pro-choice" slogan.
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SCRIPTURE
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Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
-- 2 Corinthians 3:17
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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
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Norma McCorvey (the former Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade) used to work at an abortion mill named "A Choice for Women." She now realizes what a cruel irony that title was.
She saw first hand, just as pregnancy resource center counselors see, that women don't get abortions because of freedom of choice, but rather because they feel they have no freedom and no choice.
They feel trapped, abandoned, desperate and afraid, and have been led to believe that abortion is their only option.
As Frederica Mathewes-Green has written, no want wants an abortion like she wants a Porsche or an ice cream; rather, she wants it like an animal caught in a trap wants to gnaw off its own leg.
"Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." That doesn't mean that the Spirit allows us to do whatever we want or to decide for ourselves what's right and wrong.
Rather, it means that the Spirit gives us the freedom to do what is right, the power to choose what is good, when we see it before us and yet feel pulled in the opposite direction. Liberty means that we no longer have to feel doomed to do what we know is wrong.
We are the people of the Spirit of the Lord, and when we take action on behalf of life, especially by being present at abortion mills, we are acting on behalf of true freedom, and imparting to those who are in bondage the power to do what is right.
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PRAYER
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Come, Holy Spirit. You are the Spirit of freedom, the source of all that is good, the power to do what is right.
Fill us, and fill those who are in bondage today, feeling doomed to do what is wrong.
Set them free, and help us to hasten them on the road to freedom, where your grace overcomes every temptation.
We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Bump for life!
We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.
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SCRIPTURE
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Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."
-- Jeremiah 1:4-5
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REFLECTION by Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
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To be or not to be?
There is no question!
The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered.
What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer.
We have being because we are known by God.
For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being.
Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do.
The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).
One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued.
To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being.
But nothing could be further from the truth.
That child is known by God and, as such, has being.
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PRAYER
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Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being.
Because You are, we are.
May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.
Commentary by Shawn Carney, Spring Campaign Director, 40 Days for Life
April 1, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - I won't tell you where this is happening, but there is a woman we know of who's pondering a career change.
An abortion center employee has been talking to the 40 Days for Life prayer volunteers outside of her workplace - and she wants out!
Her message was simple - she just couldn't take it any longer. It was time to look for a new job.
She asked the vigil participants to pray for her. She said she couldn't simply quit her job, because she needs the income. Her prayer request was that she be able to find a suitable position elsewhere so she could give her notice at the clinic.
She also said the prayers of the vigil participants have a definite impact at the clinic. "When there are prayers happening outside, she said the tone of what happens inside changes," the local campaign coordinator told me. "Everyone is aware of their presence, and she for one, can no longer pretend that what is happening is OK."
There are women in Carson City, Nevada who "can't take it any longer" either. Because of 40 Days for Life, they've learned the shocking truth that the ob/gyn practice they go to for routine health care also does abortions.
It is indeed a fact that many people are simply unaware that abortions are going on in their own communities - even at their own doctors' offices. But thanks to vigil participants and pro-life supporters, 40 Days for Life is opening their eyes.
This ob/gyn practice is "feeling the heat of our presence," said Carol Marie, one of the local 40 Days for Life coordinators. "We know of at least three patients who have left the practice once they learned that abortions are performed."
One of those women told the abortion clinic staff she would no longer be their patient and the receptionist gave her a stack of forms to fill out. But the woman's response was that she was only interested in one form - a form where she could explain to this medical practice why she was going away.
"She then proceeded to put a long note in writing as to exactly what she thought of an ob/gyn center performing abortions as a part of their regular practice," Carol Marie said.
"This wonderful woman has ensured that they fully appreciate the reason they have lost her as a patient. By being present at the sidewalk, we are informing their patients about what is being done behind closed doors," she said. "With enough patients lost, they could rethink their commitment to performing abortions."
She added, "If you ever wondered if what we've been doing has been making a difference, well the Lord has given us an answer, loud and clear. Lives are being saved, people are leaving the business and we are costing
Pray that volunteers will replace exhaustion or discouragement with rejoicing over the miracles we have seen thus far, and enthusiastic service as God takes us on to victory!
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SCRIPTURE
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In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
-- 1 Peter 1:6-7
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REFLECTION by Carmen Pate, Point of View
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We have reason to rejoice when we consider the many babies whose lives have been saved during the 40 Days for Life campaign.
Add to those lives, the women and men who have been spared from a devastating decision and now have opportunity to make a plan for their baby that is both life affirming and God honoring.
Whether directly, or indirectly, you have contributed to these testimonies of praise with your sacrificial service.
Perhaps you have been grieved by various trials during your commitment to 40 days.
The attacks of the enemy come in many forms -- difficulties in relationships, finances, health.
Or maybe you are physically and mentally exhausted and have been marking off the days on your calendar, eagerly waiting for April 5.
Consider these trials in light of God's plan for you.
The Apostle Paul understood the big picture when he said in Romans 8:18, "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us."
This is our Hope and our victory. Let us rejoice in the opportunity to give that Hope to others in our path.
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PRAYER
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Dear Heavenly Father, we sing to You a new song, for You have done marvelous things. Forgive us when we allow circumstances to defeat us. You give power to the faint and You increase strength in those who have no might.
We rest in You, dear Lord, and ask You to empower us again for Your service as You work out Your plan for us and through us.
May You receive glory through our victory in Christ, in whose name we pray, Amen.
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