Posted on 09/23/2009 9:50:26 AM PDT by Salvation
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4417 N 7th Ave.
Phoenix, AZ 85013
Vigil location:
American Women's Center
158 S. Main St.
Phillipsburg, NJ 08865
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
8590 Georgetown Rd.
Indianapolis, IN 46268
Vigil location:
Family Planning Associates
1840 N. Hacienda Blvd. #13
La Puente, CA 91774
Vigil location:
Cherry Hill Women's Center
502 Kings Hwy. N.
Cherry Hill, NJ 08034
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
104 Babcock Rd.
San Antonio, TX 78201
Vigil location:
Family Planning Associates
10200 Sepulveda Blvd.
Mission Hills, CA 91345
Vigil location:
Hillcrest Women's Medical Center
2709 N. Front St.
Harrisburg, PA 17110
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3772 Tibbetts St.
Riverside, CA 92506
Vigil location:
TBA
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1289 Broad St.
Augusta, GA 30901
Vigil location:
Hill Top Womens Reproductive Clinic
500 E. Schuster Ave.
El Paso, TX 79902
Vigil location:
Tucson Women's Center
5240 E. Knight Dr. #112
Tucson, AZ 85712
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
111 Point St.
Providence, RI 02940
Vigil location:
American Women's Services
228 Main St.
Woodbridge, NJ 07085
Vigil location:
Family Planning Associates
43 Gabriel Dr.
Augusta, ME 04330
Vigil location:
All Families Health Care
1060 N. Meridian St.
Kalispell, MT 59901
Vigil location:
WomenCare
11474 15 Mile Rd.
Sterling Heights, MI 48312
Vigil location:
Alabama Women's Center
612 Madison St.
Hunstville, AL 35801
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3000 Maplewood Ave.
Winston-Salem, NC 27103
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
700 S. Tustin Ave
Orange, CA 92866
Vigil location:
Preferred Women's Health
3220 Latrobe Dr.
Charlotte, NC 28211
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1000 E. Army Post Rd.
Des Moines, IA 50315
Vigil location:
Lovejoy Surgicenter
933 NW 25th Ave.
Portland, OR 97210
Vigil location:
Cedar River Clinic
4300 Talbot Rd. South #403
Renton, WA 98055
Vigil location:
A Abortion
5888 Cleveland Ave.
Columbus, OH 43231
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3601 Fannin St.
Houston, TX 77004
Vigil location:
Womancare
28505 Southfield Rd.
Southfield, MI 48073
Vigil location:
Affiliated Medical Services
1442 N. Farwell Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53202
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
402 Legion Way
Olympia, WA 98501
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4251 Forest Park Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63108
Vigil location:
A Jacksonville Women's Center
4131 University Blvd. South
Jacksonville, FL 32216
Vigil location:
Hope Clinic for Women
1602 21st St.
Granite City, IL 62040
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
201 E. Ben White Blvd.
Austin, TX 78704
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4112 E. 29th St.
Bryan, TX 77802
Vigil location:
A Woman's Choice
3305 Drake Circle
Raleigh, NC 27607
Vigil location:
Choice Medical Group
2322 Butano St.
Sacramento, CA 95825
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1735 Jefferson St.
Napa, CA 94558
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
990 Broadway St.
Vallejo, CA 94590
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3449 N. 10th St.
Abilene, TX 79603
Vigil location:
AA Women's Clinic
6500 Centurion Dr.
Lansing, MI 48917
Vigil location:
Ocala Women's Center
108 N. Pine St.
Ocala, FL 34475
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1691 The Alameda
San Jose, CA 95126
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1509 32nd St.
Everett, WA 98206
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
23 Mansfield Ave.
Burlington, VT 05301
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2314 Auburn Ave.
Cincinnati, OH 45219
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1407 Union Ave. #300
Memphis, TN 35104
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
7426 W. Bonnie Ave.
Kennewick, WA 99336
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
813 Martin Luther King Jr.
Tacoma, WA 98404
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1211 27th Place S.
Birmingham, AL 35205
Vigil location:
Caring Hearts Center
(pro-life pregnancy outreach)
210 W. Main St.
Taylorsville, NC 28681
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3668 N. Harbor Ln.
Boise, ID 83703
Vigil location:
Buffalo Women's Services
2500 Main St.
Buffalo, NY 14214
Vigil location:
Albany Medical Surgical Center
5086 N. Elston Ave.
Chicago, IL 60630
Vigil location:
Women's OB/GYN Center
28960 US 19 N. #110
Clearwater, FL 33761
Vigil location:
Red River Women's Clinic
512 1st Ave.
Fargo, ND 58102
Vigil location:
Women's Health Center 3422 Flushing Rd.
Flint, MI 48532
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
301 S. Henderson St.
Ft. Worth, TX 76104
Vigil location:
Abortion Advantage
1929 Record Crossing Rd.
Dallas, TX 75235
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
650 N. Fulton St.
Fresno, CA 93728
Vigil location:
Heritage Clinic for Women
320 E. Fulton St.
Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
211 9th St.
Great Falls, MT 59401
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
166 N. Moorpark Rd.
Thousand Oaks, CA 91360
Vigil location:
Medical Arts Building
704 S. Webster St.
Green Bay, WI 54301
Vigil location:
Victorial General Hospital
1278 Tower Rd.
Halifax, NS B3H 2Y9
Vigil location:
Hartford GYN Center
1 Main St.
Hartford, CT 06106
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3706 Orin Rd.
Madison, WI 53705
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
12 Case St.
Norwich, CT 06360
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4500 9th Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98105
Vigil location:
TBD
Vigil location:
Women's Pavilion
2010 Ironwood Circle
South Bend, IN 46635
Vigil location:
Center for Choice
328 22nd St.
Toledo, OH 43604
Vigil location:
American Women's Services
651 Route 37 W.
Toms River, NJ 08755
Vigil location:
TBA
Vigil location:
Reproductive Services
6136 E. 32nd Pl.
Tulsa, OK 74135
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
736 Central Ave.
Sarasota, FL 3423
Vigil location:
Bryn Mawr Hospital
130 S. Bryn Mawr Ave.
Bryn Mawr, PA 19010
Vigil location:
Boulder Abortion Clinic
1130 Alpine Ave.
Boulder, CO 80302
Vigil location:
TBD
Vigil location:
Women's Center
419 Welshwood Dr.
Nashville, TN 37311
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
5400 Ralston St.
Ventura, CA 93003
Vigil location:
West End Women's Medical
5915 Tyrone Rd
Reno, NV 89502
Vigil location:
Tahoe Women's Care
973 Mica Dr. #200
Carson City, NV 96150
Vigil location:
Greenville Women's Clinic
1142 Grove Rd.
Greenville, SC 29605
Vigil location:
Annandale Women's Center
2839 Duke St.
Alexandria, VA 22314
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
719 San Mateo Blvd. NE
Albuquerque, NM 87108
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3051 E. New York St.
Aurora, IL 60504
Vigil location:
Charleston Women's Center
1312 Ashley River Rd.
Charleston, SC 29407
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
8 S. Wayne St.
West Chester, PA 19382
Vigil location:
Women's Health Organization
2210 Inwood Dr.
Ft. Wayne, IN 46815
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
6951 Williams Rd.
Niagara Falls, NY 14304
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1045 N. Lake Ave.
Pasadena, CA 91104
Vigil location:
Community Healthcare Center
6770 N. 9th Ave.
Pensacola, FL 32504
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4409 Stone Ave.
Sioux City, IA 51106
Vigil location:
All Women's Health Center
4131 Central Ave.
St. Petersburg, FL 33713
Vigil location:
Women's Care Clinic
960 Lawrence Ave.
Toronto, ON M6A 3B5
Vigil location:
Regions Hospital
640 Jackson St.
St. Paul, MN 55175
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
610 Lewis Rd.
Warminster, PA 18974
Vigil location:
Health Science Centre
Women's Pavilion
Notre Dame Ave.
Winnipeg, MB R3A 1R9
Vigil location:
Preterm Cleveland
12000 Shaker Blvd.
Cleveland, OH 44120
Vigil location:
Aanchor Health Center
1186 Roosevelt Rd.
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Vigil location:
Family Planning Associates
5050 San Bernardino St.
Montclair, CA 91763
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
37 Dietz St.
Oneonta, NY 13820
Vigil location:
National Health Care
7405 N. University St.
Peoria, IL 61614
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
20800 Center Ridge Rd.
Rocky River, OH 44116
Vigil location:
Woman's Choice
3141 Cabaret Trail
Saginaw, MI 48603
Vigil location:
North County Women's Medical
120 Craven Rd.
San Marcos, CA 92078
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2010 Pecos St.
San Angelo, TX 76901
Vigil location:
Cabbagetown Women's Clinic
302 Gerrard St. E
Toronto, ON M5A 2G7
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
8 Moran St.
Newton, NJ 07860
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
630 S. Buffalo St.
Warsaw, IN 46580
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
540 Fulton Ave.
Hempstead, NY 11550
Vigil location:
A Choice for Women
6660 SW 117th Ave.
Miami, FL 33166
Vigil location:
EMW Women's Surgical Center
161 Burt Rd.
Lexington, KY 40503
Vigil location:
Prince William Women's Clinic
9380-B Forestwood Ln.
Manassas, VA 20110
Vigil location:
Magee Women's Hospital
300 Halket St.
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3825 Wolverine St. NE
Salem, OR 97305
Vigil location:
Public vigil location
2445 Hwy. 17
Toccoa, GA 30577
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
631 Lincoln St.
Worcester, MA 01605
Vigil location:
Greenley Rd. at Mono Way
Sonora, CA 95470
Vigil location:
Holbæk Hospital
Smedelundsgade 60
4300 Holbæk, Denmark
Vigil location:
Morgentaler Clinic
554 Brunswick St.
Fredericton, NB E3B 1H5
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
314 W. State St.
Ithaca, NY 14850
Vigil location:
Presidential Women's Center
100 Northpoint Pkwy.
West Palm Beach, FL 33407
Vigil location:
Bours Health Center
3303 19th Ave.
Forest Grove, OR 97116
Vigil location:
Cass County Courthouse
300 Minnesota Ave. W.
Walker, MN 56484
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4001 Lake Otis Pkwy.
Anchorage, AK 99508
Vigil location:
Feminist Health Center
1924 Cliff Valley Way
Atlanta, GA 30329
Vigil location:
Metropolitan Family Planning
5915 Greenbelt Rd.
Berwyn Heights, MD 20740
Vigil location:
Dr. Eduardo Aquino
1901 Morgan Ave.
Corpus Christi, TX 78404
Vigil location:
Feminist Health Center
559 Portsmouth Ave.
Greenland, NH 03840
Vigil location:
Volunteer Medical Clinic
313 S. Concord St.
Knoxville, TN 37916
Vigil location:
Abortion Clinic of Nebraska
1002 W. Mission Ave.
Bellevue, NE 68005
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
86 University Ave.
Rochester, NY 14603
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2207 Peters Creek Rd.
Roanoke, VA 24017
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
644 High St.
Pottstown, PA 19464
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
451 E. St. Germain St. #100
St. Cloud, MN 56304
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2712 Middleburg Dr. #107
Columbia, SC 29204
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
302 E. Stoughton
Champaign, IL 61820
Vigil location:
Women's Medical Center
1401 East Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH 45429
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
805 S. Governors Ave.
Dover, DE 19904
Vigil location:
Access Health Clinic
1700 75th St.
Downers Grove, IL 60018
Vigil location:
Causeway Medical Clinic
3004 Ridgelake Dr.
Metairie, LA 70002
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
48 S. 4th St.
Reading, PA 19602
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
201 N. Hamilton St.
Richmond, VA 23221
Vigil location:
Freeport Hospital
3570 King St.
Kitchener, ON N1A 4W1
Vigil location:
TBD
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1867 Airport Way #160-B
Fairbanks, AK 99701
Vigil location:
Morgentaler Clinic
65 Bank St.
Ottawa, ON K1P 5N2
Vigil location:
EMW Women's Surgical Center
128 W. Market St.
Louisville, KY 40202
Vigil location:
AA Women's Clinic
6500 Centurion Dr.
Lansing, MI 48917
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
330 N. Howard St.
Baltimore, MD 21201
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
24 Pennacook St.
Manchester, NH 03104
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1330 West Colorado Ave.
Colorado Springs, CO 80904
Vigil locations:
Planned Parenthood
3601 Fannin St.
Houston, TX 77004
Planned Parenthood
4112 E. 29th St.
Bryan, TX 77802
Vigil location:
Women's Medical Center
1725 Broad St.
Cranston, RI 02903
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3601 Fannin St.
Houston, TX 77004
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
5500 NE 109th Court
Vancouver, WA 98662
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
430 N. Palora Ave.
Yuba City, CA 95991
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2239 Hwy. 33
Hamilton Square, NJ 08690
Vigil location:
Panhandle Family Planning
1501 S. Taylor St.
Amarillo, TX 79101
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3100 Professional Dr.
Ann Arbor, MI 48104
Vigil location:
Four Women
150 Emory St.
Attleboro, MA 02703
Vigil location:
Family Planning Associates 2500 H St.
Bakersfield, CA 93301
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
12220 SW 1st St. #200
Beaverton. OR 97005
Vigil location:
Collegeville Health Center
78 Second Ave., Suite 1A
Collegeville, PA 19426
Vigil location:
Family Planning Associates
601 S. Westmoreland Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90005
Vigil location:
Women's Heath Center
32 E. 1st St.
Duluth, MN 55802
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1500 Cannon St.
Helena, MT 59601
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1350 S. King St.
Honolulu, HI 96814
Vigil location:
Gunderson Lutheran Med. Ctr.
1900 South Ave.
La Crosse, WI 54601
Vigil location:
Aaron Women's Clinic
3302 67th St.
Lubbock, TX 79413
Vigil location:
Shands Dr.
Lufkin, TX 75969
Vigil location:
TBA
Vigil location:
Merrimack Valley Health
9 Branch St.
Methuen, MA 01844
Vigil location:
Womancare
14523 Northline Rd.
Southgate, MI 48195
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2550 Main St.
Springfield, MA 01107
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1108 16th St. NW
Washington, DC 20036
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
623 NW Riddell
Bremerton, WA 98310
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1120 E. Genesee St.
Syracuse, NY 13210
Vigil location:
A Woman's World Medical Center
503 12th St.
Ft. Pierce, FL 34950
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
717 Downtowner Loop W.
Mobile, AL 36609
Vigil location:
Clinique Morgentaler
20 St. Joseph Blvd. East #710
Montreal, QC H2T 1G9
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
1530 Ellis St.
Bellingham, WA 98225
Vigil location:
Bours Health Center
539 E. 11th Ave.
Eugene, OR 97401
Vigil location:
Women's Choice Medical Center
10 Zabriskie St.
Hackensack, NJ 07601
Vigil location:
Killeen Women's Health
3106 South W.S. Young Dr.
Killeen, TX 76542
Vigil location:
Abortion Choice
401 Hudson Dr. #3
Elizabethton, TN 37643
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
421 S. College Ave.
Bloomington, IN 47403
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
711 N. Providence Rd.
Columbia, MO 65203
Vigil location:
Side-by-side abortion centers
89-22 Roosevelt Ave.
Jackson Heights, NY 11372
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2663 Cleveland Ave.
Canton, OH 44709
Vigil location:
Lake Jackson City Hall
25 Oak St.
Lake Jackson, TX 77566
Vigil location:
TBD
Vigil location:
Women's Health Specialists
4415 Sonoma Hwy.
Santa Rosa, CA 95409
Vigil locations:
Allentown Women's Center 1409 Union Blvd.
Allentown, PA 18109
Allentown Medical Center
2200 Hamilton Blvd.
Allentown, PA 18104
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
8645 Connecticut St.
Merrillville, IN 46410
Vigil location:
Outpatient Services for Women
6112 NW 63rd St.
Oklahoma City, OK 73132
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4551 Yadkin Rd.
Fayetteville, NC 28303
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3705 South St.
Lincoln, NE 68506
Vigil location:
Utah Women's Clinic
515 South 400 E.
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Vigil location:
Abortion Services
1640 Powers Ferry Rd.
Marietta, GA 30067
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
6511 W. 41st St.
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
2964 Hydraulic Rd.
Charlottesville, VA 22901
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
3800 N. Gillette St.
Appleton, WI 54913
Vigil location:
Gunderson Lutheran Med. Ctr.
1900 South Ave.
La Crosse, WI 54601
Vigil location:
Birth Control Center
872 E. Sahara Ave.
Las Vegas, NV 89104
Vigil location:
Akron Women's Medical Group
839 E. Market St.
Akron, OH 44305
Vigil location:
Planned Parenthood
4600 Gulf Freeway
Houston, TX 77023
Vigil location:
Family Planning Association
54 S. State St. #201
Painesville, OH 44077
Vigil location:
Falls Church Healthcare Center
900 S. Washington St.
Falls Church, VA 22046
The map above is interactive! Zoom in to see the exact location of every local campaign's 40 Days for Life prayer vigil; click the red markers to see the address of each site. Move eastward towards Europe to see the 40 Days for Life location in Denmark!
Day 9 - October 1
Intention:
May we grow in joy, knowing we serve a living God.
Scripture:
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
-- John 1:14
Reflection:
The Word of God came to us in human form in Jesus Christ. Every time I contemplate this fact I get chills! And I think it is something that we, as Christians, tend to gloss over. I can only imagine how the first disciples felt when they were looking into the eyes of the one and only Almighty God who created them.
The first disciples developed a close relationship with Him as they daily walked and talked with Him. They ate with Him, prayed with Him and rested when He rested. As they listened to the Word of God, who was and is Jesus .they believed and "beheld His glory."
Today, this is something we can still do because we serve a living God. Remember, Jesus died on the cross but rose from the dead in victory! Jesus is every bit as real and alive for all of us as He was to the first disciples. He wants us to develop a close relationship with Him in the very same way. Jesus wants us to know Him personally. He wants us to walk with Him and talk with Him on a daily basis.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for your love and saving grace in Christ Jesus. Help us to realize every day the great blessing we have in our Savior. I pray that we will rise every morning with excitement and zeal, looking forward to walking another day in your footsteps fully knowing that you continue to dwell among us. Amen.
Day Gardner
President, National Black Pro-life Union
Day 10 - October 2
Intention:
Let us affirm the unborn by our language.
Scripture:
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
Reflection:
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!
Prayer:
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.
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life and President, National Pro-life Religious Council
Day 11 - October 3
Intention:
Pray that when those representing Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups see volunteers for 40 Days for Life, they see ambassadors of Christ, and may each volunteer be consciously aware at all times we represent Him.
Scripture:
I...beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love.
-- Ephesians 4:1-2
Reflection:
When a former abortionist and post-abortive woman, Carol Everett, was asked what turned her heart from death to life in Christ, she replied, "It was unconditional love" shown by a man who prayed daily for her in front of the facility where she worked.
He told Carol that "God had sent him" because there was someone in there that God wanted out. She left 27 days later and now serves as Christ's ambassador to help others. We too have been sent by Christ as an ambassador to love unconditionally those God seeks to "get out" of their bondage and sin.
In his book, "Fishers of Men," Dr. Sumner Wemp describes what it means to be an ambassador of Christ, the King of Kings:
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, we are humbled that you have called us and appointed us to be ambassadors of Christ in a world that is not our home. It is a calling much higher and grander than our finite minds can imagine.
We pray that your Holy Spirit will empower us to walk worthy of the calling. We pray that Your unconditional love will flow through us onto those who desperately need Your saving grace. In the name of Christ who is worthy, amen.
Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" Talk Show
Day 12 - October 4
Intention:
May the King of the Universe, who entered this world as a helpless infant, give us the humility to be healed.
Scripture:
My power is made perfect in weakness.
--2 Corinthians 12:9
Reflection:
The great mystery of the Humility of God is very near and dear to the mission of those serving in pro life and in a special way, post abortion ministries across this nation. For those wounded by their participation in abortion, the door to healing often feels like crossing an abyss of great fear: fear of judgment, fear of being torn apart by the pain, by self hatred and rage at those who hurt and abandoned you, and manipulated you in your time of temptation. For men in particular, entering the unknown waters of emotional vulnerability, so necessary to healing calls for a different kind of courage that feels deceptively like weakness.
The door to healing is humility. It is born in the inability to no longer control the pain, to live with the consequences of that tragic decision to reject life. The hearts cries out, "I have committed a grave offense against my Creator and I am consumed by regret, grief and sorrow!"
During these forty days let us pray for all who have participated in abortion and with love call them to healing and reconciliation. With healing these women and men can become as John Paul II proclaimed in the Gospel of Life, "the most eloquent defenders of everyone's right to life."
Jesus proclaimed, "I am the Vine, you are the branches" (John 15:5). To bear the greatest fruit, the branches must be pruned. Each level of pruning of the vine requires a deeper level of humility so that we can abandon ourselves to His will. This is not a lofty theological concept as much as it is an earthy experience of pulling weeds, tilling rocky soil, pruning and healing the vines. "If a man wishes to come after me, he must deny his very self, take up his cross, and begin to follow in my footsteps" (Matthew 16:24).
Prayer:
Lord, during these forty days, we ask that with each day of this sacred vigil, everything in us that separates us from your perfect will would be pruned from our hearts and souls. In this blessed freedom may we experience a powerful anointing of your Holy Spirit. Filled with confidence and trust may we proclaim with the mother of Jesus, "Let it be done to me, according to your Word."
Kevin Burke
Executive Director, Rachels Vineyard Ministries
Day 13 - October 5
Intention:
For all fathers who are terrified of being fathers.
Scripture:
A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.
-- Psalm 68:5
Reflection:
I had a friend many years ago who confided in me that he was terrified of being a father. He and his wife already had two children when this revelation came forth. "I never knew my father," he explained, "and I have no idea what a father is supposed to do." We continued to share about this, as well as pray together. He began to see he had a father's heart for his children. His biggest problem was not a limitation on love but not knowing how to act out this love.
One day we talked about the verse quoted at the top of this page. I shared that he did know his Father not his biological father but his Heavenly Father, who had rescued him from a life of destruction not many years before. "How did your Heavenly Father guide you?" I asked. He talked about the ways he had seen God's love offered to him and the way the Lord had used circumstances and the Scriptures to mold him and mature him. "Well, the Lord wants to do the same thing through you for your children. Be available to His love and available to your kids. You'll do fine."
How wonderful it is to know that God takes a personal interest in each of us, many times using His faithful people - the Church - as channels of this love. No one is fatherless who lives in the Lord. His fatherly care begins at the moment of our conception, as it is written, "you knit me together in my mother's womb" (Psalm 139:12), and continues to be poured upon us throughout our lives.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, we thank you for caring about each of us so deeply. Help us to see and know you as our Father in heaven each and every day of our lives. Your loving hand also rests on every child today carried in its mother's womb. May they be born into this world and come to know fully and personally your endless love. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Randolph Sly
National Pro-life Religious Council
DAY 13: 123 babies saved -- so far!
Judging from the hundreds of e-mail messages I get
daily, you like to hear stories about babies saved
from abortion, and you like to see pictures of 40
Days for Life in action. So, today I bring you both!
Kristina and Michele in Syracuse, New York were
praying in front of Planned Parenthood when two young
women stopped to talk. One of the young women said
she was pregnant and going to Planned Parenthood for
an abortion.
Instead, she was encouraged to visit a pro-life
pregnancy resource center where she was offered a
free ultrasound. "Long story short," said Kristina,
"the girl decided against having the abortion. Praise
the Lord!"
"To all those who are there with us in spirit and
praying at home, we thank you from the bottom of our
hearts," Michele added. "It is because of your
prayers and God's love and mercy that this young
woman's baby was saved."
You can see a picture of some of the 40 Days for Life
participants in Syracuse at:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=315
Sandy in Toms River, New Jersey reported that a young
couple drove into the abortion center parking lot.
The woman got out and walked towards the clinic; the
man stayed in the car.
A counselor asked if the young woman needed any help.
She told the counselor she was pregnant and couldn't
take care of another baby because she already had a
young child. The woman went back to the car, looked
at the pro-life literature she was given, and then
entered the building.
An hour later, she left the clinic and went back to
the sidewalk to tell the counselor she had decided to
keep the baby.
"I am convinced that all the prayers and sacrifices
being offered to God since the start of the campaign
had a part in this miracle," Sandy said. "In a
spectacular display of religious unity in our belief
in the sanctity of life, a group of women from the
Pentecostal Church of Grace and Peace prayed at the
front of the clinic while a group of Catholic women
prayed by the entrance. This is what 40 Days for Life
is all about!"
To see a picture of the faithful people taking part
in 40 Days for Life in Toms River, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=315
Melissa in Charlotte, North Carolina found out
firsthand that because of its widespread
availability, abortion can even tempt people of
faith. At the 40 Days for Life vigil, she met a woman
who was at the clinic to schedule an abortion.
"She broke down crying and revealed that she was a
Christian, who had fallen into sin," Melissa said.
The child's father, a married leader in her church,
was pressuring her to have an abortion. "She knew it
was wrong, but she didn't know what to do." She had
spoken to her pastor, but had not received any
definitive counsel.
Still, it was obvious the woman knew the truth; her
car had a "let God have his way" sticker and the
bible was sitting on the passenger seat. "We hugged
her and listened to her as she poured her heart out
and wept on our shoulder. After baring her soul,"
Melissa said, "she chose life!"
Melissa asks for your prayers for this woman. "She
has a very difficult road ahead and she is obviously
going to be ostracized by those closest to her for
making the decision to carry this child to term."
To see a picture of the 40 Days for Life team in
Charlotte, standing alongside a mobile ultrasound
unit, go to:
http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=315
Those are just a FEW of the stories of at least 123
lives saved so far by your prayers and participation
in this 40 Days for Life.
I can't wait to share even more stories and pictures
with you in the coming days!
Day 14 - October 6
Intention:
Abortion is the great "no." May all of God's people have the freedom and grace to say "yes" to His marvelous plans.
Scripture:
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed and in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.
-- Psalm 139:13-16
Reflection:
Unlike the rest of creation, we are capable of a personal relationship with God. Not only did God create us, but created us according to a plan devised from all eternity. No matter how far back we go in our imagination, there was never a time when God did not know each of us, in every detail of our being.
There was not a particular time when God decided to make us. The decision to make us has been in the mind of God from all eternity. All our days were written in His book.
To dare to say that a human being, developing in the womb, should not be born is as wrong as to say that a born person should not continue to grow and live. In each case, an attack on human life is an attack on the God who formed and made us. Jesus Christ is the great "yes" to the promises of God; abortion is the great "no."
Prayer:
Lord, I pray today for every unborn child. The beauty of the bodies and souls of these children flows from your hands and your eternal plan. Awaken in every human conscience a profound reverence for human life, and grant us grace to defend our smallest and most defenseless brothers and sisters, those still being formed in the secret places of their mothers' womb. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life
Day 15 - October 7
Intention:
May God's people awaken to the fact that we are our brothers' keepers.
Scripture:
Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?" And He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground."
-- Genesis 4:8-10
Reflection:
"Methinks he doth protest too much ..."
The Bible is filled with passages that speak to our obligation to care for our fellow human beings. From the many commands in the books of Moses enjoining love of family, neighbors and even strangers, to Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan, the injunction to care for others is inescapable.
In this account, the guilt-stricken Cain tries to shrug off his obligation to his own kin by dismissing it as an unreasonable duty. A la Shakespeare, though, "methinks he doth protest too much." Cain's objection doesn't stem from his sense of proper boundaries of responsibility, but from his own self-centered sense of self-preservation.
Christ said, "Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends" (John 15:13). This is the standard of divine love. It required God to sacrifice what was most precious to Him for the temporal and eternal well being of all humankind (see John 3:16). Though on a much-reduced scale, he expects us to do the same.
Trying to duck our obligation to others is futile. We can't get away with simply dismissing others, especially the most vulnerable among us: the pre-born, the disabled, the sick and the aged. As with Cain, God sees and hears their suffering and will call us to account for what we do -- or do not do -- for them.
Prayer:
Father, help us to embrace the fact that we are our "brother's keeper." When, due to selfish motives, we try to cast off this responsibility please call to us to account. We would be pleasing to you and to our "brother." Through the help and grace of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Rev. Rob Schenck
President, Faith and Action
Day 16 - October 8
Intention:
Pray that as young couples or single moms choose life for their child, the church will come alongside them physically, emotionally, and spiritually to help bear their burdens.
Scripture:
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.
-- Galatians 6:1-2
Reflection:
Restoring those who are broken from sexual sin and who desire to live life differently -- a life focused on Christ -- is a burden the church must share. What an awesome opportunity for a spiritually mature woman to come alongside a single mom as a mentor and friend.
A regular time together praying and studying God's Word will help her mature in her walk with the Lord. Allowing her opportunity to observe life as you live it --- meal preparation, family time, and providing wholesome conversation and wise counsel on a frequent basis --- can provide teaching moments that will benefit her for a lifetime. Introducing her to a small group or class in the church where she and her baby are welcomed and plugged in will be vital to her restoration.
These are just a few examples of things the body of Christ can do. Staying connected with young couples or single moms who have chosen life should continue beyond the celebration of the child's birth if we truly desire to fulfill the law of Christ in bearing one another's burdens.
You will find it is not a burden after all, but a tremendous blessing as your family line extends to include these precious souls as part of your own.
Prayer:
Dear Lord, as our Shepherd You so tenderly care for us -- pulling us from the miry pit, guiding and directing us safely along the path of life, protecting us from the dangers that are ahead and taking us to pastures that are green. Lord, use us as Your vessels to shepherd these young men and women who have honored you by choosing life for their child. Give us wisdom and discernment along with Your love and compassion so that we are never a stumbling block but rather a guide that always takes them to You, the true Shepherd. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.
Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" Talk Show
Day 17 - October 9
Intention:
May all understand more deeply that the pro-life message is rooted in the two basic truths of life:
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
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