Posted on 02/25/2009 9:35:05 PM PST by Salvation
When the discouragements, negative responses, trials and tribulations come, I find them a positive mark...they signify that we are making in-roads into Satan’s territory and in his anger, he is fighting back to try to stop our movement! The onslaughts of the enemy are sent to deter, detain, and cause us to refrain. At that point we need to press on and press in, praising God that we are having an impact!! Prayers continue to all the brothers and sisters in Christ who are engaged in the battle FOR LIFE!
Day 39 — 368 babies saved
Praise the Lord!
Let us keep our eyes fixed on the New Jerusalem, where death will be no more.
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SCRIPTURE
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"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
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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
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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.
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PRAYER
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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.
Your posts, along with our other FRiends on this thread, have been a daily inspiration.
God bless.
Thanks to Mountain Flower for posting all these daily reflections.
What a gal!
I’m sure there will be an updated number on the number of baby’s lives saved. Meanwhile — Keep praying for the conversion of Obortion Obama to a mindset of life!
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DAY 41+ INTENTION
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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.
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SCRIPTURE
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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
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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
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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!
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PRAYER
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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.
Is 40 Days for Life really over?
Clearly, this particular coordinated campaign has come to an end. But people in city after city have come to see that the ongoing needs are great.
There is much work to be done -- and much willingness to dive in!
Here are just a very few of the Day 41+ efforts that are already beginning...
ABILENE, TEXAS: Vigil participants are making plans to establish the West Texas Coalition for Life. The Abilene News Reporter quoted local 40 Days for Life campaign coordinator Paula Matchen, who said momentum from the spring campaign has been the catalyst for this new project. "The goal is to bring an end to abortion," she said, "and do whatever we can to help bring that about."
RENO, NEVADA:40 Days for Life vigil participants are saying, "We're not stopping!" One volunteer senses that "something has changed in the pro-life effort, and that there is speculation that the prayer component of 40 Days for Life has shifted the balance of the entire debate."
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA: This city is already making plans for the fall 40 Days for Life campaign (the dates are September 23 - November 1). To maintain momentum, they're organizing at least two days of prayer each week at the abortion facility. During this 40 Days for Life campaign, Virginia's governor signed legislation authorizing "choose life" license plates that will help fund pregnancy resource centers.
AUGUSTA, MAINE: Participants in this community's first 40 Days for Life campaign have made a commitment to continue the effort by holding a weekly prayer vigil outside the abortion facility.
CHERRY HILL, NEW JERSEY: The campaign's results have encouraged efforts to solidify an increased regular presence at the abortion center. The number of abortion patients appeared to drop by more than half, and the clinic began closing early. It's clear that prayer works -- and it simply cannot stop!
There are many other communities with big plans that can't be revealed yet; but they are all showing faithfulness to God's call -- and the local abortion businesses are going to be in for some big surprises in the not-too-distant future!
Please prayerfully discern how God can use YOU and your community in these ongoing efforts -- and when He reveals His plans, be willing to say, "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord!"
As a final thought, we are constantly reminded that through 40 Days for Life, God does much more in addition to saving babies.
He saves souls!
Again during this campaign, even with all these big plans that local groups are contemplating, the biggest, most lasting effects are often profoundly spiritual and profoundly individual.
Of all the letters I've received, perhaps none is quite as touching as one from Anne, who wrote about the excitement of getting ready to go pray in front of a Planned Parenthood abortion center for the first time ever.
"I can hardly wait to experience what you've been talking about," she said, "that special feeling of doing something to stop this legalized killing that goes on behind those closed doors. I can feel God smiling down on me." She said that answering God's call "is a lasting feeling -- saving lives and changing hearts."
Praying outside Planned Parenthood is not the only change in Anne's life.
Anne has also returned to church -- for the first time in 50 years!
Praise and glory to our wondrous God, who makes all things new!
Salvation ~ Thanks for starting this thread, and for all your input. If there is a final count on saved babies, could you post it and ping me and I will hit the Ping list for it? Thanks!!
ALL ~ I pray that this 40 Days has not only impacted and created inroads into Satan's stronghold, but that it has personally effected each of your lives! I believe that it has worked as a factor to begin the healing process of the rifts in the Pro-Life movement that were created by the Spirit of Divisiveness over the last 2 years. May God continue to work to heal and unify the movement once again. PRAISE BE TO GOD for ALL THE WONDERS and MIRACLES during this 40 Day period and what is yet to come!!
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