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Here is a question I hear quite often:

“Shawn, why do we need to be praying when the abortion
center is closed and not just business hours? Isn’t
that a waste of time?”

First of all, time spent in prayer is time NEVER wasted.

As Augustine says, “Silence is the accent of God.” God
is always listening. And He often surprises us with
unexpected blessings — even when the abortion facility
is closed for the day.

Here are just a few examples.

INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA

“I had the blessing today of going to Planned Parenthood
with my daughter, Kelly,” Dave wrote. As they approached
this 40 Days for Life vigil location, Kelly noted that
Planned Parenthood was closed.

“I reminded her that this was a 40-day vigil, and that
we needed to be faithful to that commitment. And I can
guarantee that, around the clock, abortions are taking
place somewhere in the world. Abortion is big business
and big business never rests.”

It was much quieter than usual, so Dave was more focused
on the prayers and meditations — “and very attuned to
Kelly’s participation. It was a wonderful experience.”

Dave’s suggestion: Go pray at the 40 Days for Life vigil
— and bring your family. “It is a beautiful way to spend
an hour together, and the benefits are immeasurable for
yourself, your family, the Body of Christ, the mission
and the victims.”

EVERETT, WASHINGTON

Tom said he and Aaron were praying at the 40 Days for
Life vigil in Everett. “We saw that it was closed and
no one was around, but we knew that our standing there
praying would make a difference.”

Before long, a woman arrived and asked if she could
join them — and of course they agreed. She said that
God had told her to join them. “She didn’t really want
to,” Tom said, “but she felt that she was being called.”

A bit later, a couple drove up. “The woman seemed to be
checking to see what the hours of the clinic were,” he
said. “As they drove off I made it a point to wave and
smile. She did the same. I thought that was encouraging.”

PLATTSBURGH, NEW YORK

Praying outside of Planned Parenthood on Sunday was
“very peaceful,” said Nancy in Plattsburgh.

“God did provide a few signal graces,” she said. A van
drove by with the driver tooting the horn and waving in
support of prayer to end abortion.

“I was getting ready to call it a day and three college
students came over and asked to talk,” Nancy said.
“They admitted they were pro-choice. We had a great
conversation that lasted 30 minutes. The Holy Spirit
was with me the whole time, defending life in every
instance.”

She gave them information, shook hands with them and
said good-bye. “Their gears were really turning as
they walked away! I pray that the Holy Spirit planted
a big seed in their hearts.”

Nancy said it doesn’t matter if Planned Parenthood
is open or not. “God will bring someone along that
needs Him.”

Day 17 - October 14

Intention:

May all understand more deeply that the pro-life message is rooted in the two basic truths of life:

There is a God;
He isn't me

Scripture:

And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.

-- Genesis 2:7

Reflection:

From the beginning of the Bible until the end, the theme is echoed that God alone has dominion over human life. He made it; shared it; died to save it; will raise it up forever. The act of creation described in Genesis 2:7, and earlier in Genesis 1:26-27, is a sovereign act. God did not have to do it, and would have been happy forever without us. Yet without our asking for it or earning it, God brought us out of nothingness and into life, and sustains our existence at every moment. And He does so in Christ. "For by Him all things were created…in Him all things exist" (Colossians 1:16-17).

"You are not your own," Paul declares in 1 Corinthians 6. God alone owns us. While He entrusts us to the care of one another, He does not allow any human being to own another. A Southern California abortionist, James McMahon, once explained how he justified killing children after 20 weeks gestation by partial-birth abortion. He did not deny that this was a child, but rather asked, "Who owns the child? It's got to be the mother." The struggle over abortion is really a struggle over the dominion of God. The Christian individual, and the Christian Church, cannot sit idly by when others declare that God is not God.

Prayer:

Lord, we are yours. Thank you for breathing into us the breath of life. Thank you for claiming us as your own. May our words and actions in defense of human life proclaim to all the world that you alone are Lord of life and death, Lord of our freedom and of our choices. We pray in Jesus' Name. Amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life