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March 25, 2010

Day 37 - March 25

Intention:

We are the defenders of true freedom. May our witness unveil the deception of the "pro-choice" slogan.

Scripture:

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

--2 Corinthians 3:17

Reflection:

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.

Prayer:

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.

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

Today’s email:

The phrase “defenders of true freedom” comes from
today’s devotional. Those words in a nutshell describe
the people who have taken a leap of faith, during this
40 Days for Life campaign, to pray and fast for an end
to abortion.

The 40 Days for Life team in Madison, Wisconsin stands
witness in front of the Madison Surgery Center, where
late-term abortions were scheduled to begin in January
of last year.

“For 14 months, our vigils have held them off,” said
Steve Karlen, the 40 Days for Life coordinator in
Madison. This center had been projected to do about
125 late-term abortions a year.

Steve said an enthusiastic community overcame the
challenges “of a very hostile anti-life college campus
at the end of a very cold winter.” Rather than just
one or two vigil participants, it was not uncommon to
see eight or twelve out at a time.

Organizers hoped to have 25-to-30 people attending a
recent prayer service. “Instead,” said Steve, “we had
nearly 200 people pack the sidewalks to pray.”

Click here to see a photo of the prayer service:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=868

It’s a small picture, but it will give you some idea
of the size of the crowd on the sidewalk in front of
that medical building!

In St. Cloud, Minnesota, 21 members of a homeschooling
group — including 16 children — rode a bus from
their home in Springfield to pray and sing at the
vigil site. Springfield is more than two and half
hours away from St. Cloud.

Click here to see a photo of the group:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=868

But this is not the only way they participate in
40 Days for Life. They’ve been holding a weekly prayer
hour in the Springfield town square, each led by
members of a different local church.

“It just goes to show what people can do in their own
town with community outreach,” said Judy in St. Cloud.

In Lake Havasu City, Arizona, the 40 Days for Life
team sponsored a rally with food, music and guest
speakers — they called it Tailgate4Life. Not only
did they build interest in the local campaign, but
they also raised money for local pro-life projects —
and made an individual impact on at least one person.

Fatima said that one prayer volunteer was overjoyed
that her husband was standing with her in prayer.

“Married for over 50 years, she shared that the
tailgate rally was the first time that her husband
said yes to active participation,” she said. “Although
he believes in the sanctity of life, this year was the
first year he opted to move from the couch. Praise God!”

There’s still time to get off the couch! If you haven’t
prayed at a 40 Days for Life vigil yet, this weekend
marks the perfect time.

Click here to find the location nearest you:

http://40daysforlife.com/location.cfm