[Salvation]

Day 6 - February 27

 

Intention:

That those tempted to abort may understand that their child is already present, and already a real person.

Scripture:

And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

-- Luke 1:41-44

Reflection:

Jesus not only loves unborn children -- He was one himself!

Think about this for a moment.

We often hear people speak of a pregnant mother by saying, "She's expecting a child." Now if one is expecting a package, the package is not yet there. As reflected in our verse for today, however, this is not the case with the mother. Her gift is already there. The pregnant woman, a mother already, does not have a child "on the way," but has a child, already present and in full possession of his or her human rights, starting with the right to life.

Prayer:

Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb, and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

[Salvation]

One abortion is one too many, of course. So it’s always
encouraging during a 40 Days for Life campaign when we
see local abortion numbers DECREASE dramatically.

After we did the first 40 Days for Life campaign in
Texas back in 2004, abortions dropped 28 percent in
our community that year.

As 40 Days for Life has spread to other cities, we’ve
seen similar results. Today, we start with an AMAZING
example where abortion numbers keep falling!

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JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA

---

Trudy sent me a graph showing Jacksonville’s abortion
numbers over the past ten years. Abortions increased
from 2002 through 2006. Starting in 2007, however,
abortions have DECREASED every year.

What happened in 2007? Well, in the fall of that year,
Jacksonville held its first 40 Days for Life campaign.
Then in 2009, volunteers started Family for Life —
daily prayer at the abortion centers Monday through
Saturday ... more than 300 days of prayer every year!

In 2011, Jacksonville abortions reached a ten-year low.

The Jacksonville team has already sponsored several
events this campaign, including a Jericho march, in
which prayer volunteers marched back and forth between
two abortion facilities seven times.

To see the amazing chart of Jacksonville’s abortion
numbers, plus photos from the campaign, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2758

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ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

---

The sound of the shofar kicked off the second 40 Days
for Life in Asheville. Mary Ann in Asheville said 100
people took part in the opening prayer vigil and
procession, led by representatives of Catholic,
Methodist, Presbyterian and home churches.

People sang hymns and heard inspirational messages
from a local pastor and a former abortion industry
employee. “Hearts were deeply touched,” Mary Ann said.

>From a very small start last fall, the Asheville effort
has now expanded. Many churches now have members of
their congregations signing up for prayer at the vigil,
the leaders have gotten information about the campaign
in a number of publications and team members have been
able to speak about 40 Days for Life at meetings of
various local organizations.

For photos of the Asheville campaign, please go to:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=2758

---

DOWNEY, CALIFORNIA

---

“God is moving big-time in Downey, California,” Tim
wrote in the 40 Days for Life blog.

“He is stirring the saints to come out of the pews
and onto the street to make a difference at the
Family Planning Associates abortion facility in
Downey,” he said.

Tim described how 40 college-age young adults stood
in prayer and worship from 9 pm to midnight recently,
and some of them were right back at the vigil outside
the abortion center at 7:30 the following morning.

In just the first few days, eight babies were spared
from abortion in Downey. “God is pouring out His
Spirit,” Tim wrote, “just as He said He would.”