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Day 36 - October 28

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

Big Apple testimony in today's email:

A few days ago, I mentioned that Shawn Carney, our
40 Days for Life campaign director, was headed to New
York City. Shawn made a short video account of his
visit to the 40 Days for Life campaign in the city
labeled "the abortion capital of America."

If you only watch one video during this 40 Days for
Life, it HAS to be this amazing clip:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=468

During the brief video -- which was filmed right on
the street in Queens -- you will:

* Hear from a volunteer who puts in 6-10 hours EVERY
   DAY outside of two of the largest abortion centers
   in the United States

* See hundreds of passers-by receiving a pro-life
   education on the street

* Discover the challenges of holding a campaign in a
   crime and drug infested area -- on the spot where
   a murder took place right before 40 Days for Life

* Meet a sidewalk counselor who shares how they are
   saving lives in the midst of the hustle and bustle

* Learn JUST HOW MANY lives have been saved in the
   Big Apple due to 40 Days for Life campaigns over
   the last two years -- prepare to be amazed in the
   last 20 seconds of the video!

The video is loud. Everything's in motion. It's got
attitude. But hey -- it's New York City! :-)

Watch this video now, you'll be glad you did:

http://40daysforlife.com/blog/?p=468

If you have problems viewing it on that page, it is
also posted on YouTube at:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxB-ZKX5WRw

By the way, Shawn is going to be on international TV
tomorrow night (Thursday, October 29)! The third
installment of the Being Human series makes its
broadcast debut at 6:30 PM Eastern time on the EWTN
network (5:30 Central, 4:30 Mountain, 3:30 Pacific).
This episode interviews a physician, former abortion
providers, and philosophy professor Peter Kreeft.
They answer the question of when life begins and what
personhood means.

EWTN is available on many cable and satellite TV
services. The program may also be seen online at
http://www.ewtn.com where you can click on
"television," then on "watch live."

Chris Slattery, who is featured in Shawn's video clip
above, not only coordinates the 40 Days for Life
campaigns in Queens and The Bronx; he also directs
Expectant Mother Care Frontline Pregnancy Centers.

This organization offers internships for young people
to learn first-hand about various aspects of pro-life
ministry.

The interns' blog tells a story of life on the
sidewalk at Dr. Emily's Women's Health Center, the
40 Days for Life vigil location in The Bronx.

It was 11:30 in the morning, and the interns were
going to a pro-life conference. As they were leaving,
they watched two young women leave the clinic. Once
they reached the sidewalk, one of the 40 Days for
Life volunteers handed one of them a brochure.

One intern saw this, walked up beside them, and
started asking questions. "Have you had an abortion?
How far along are you? Have you been allowed to see a
sonogram?"

She learned that the women had only been inside the
clinic for a short time -- it was already too late in
the day to schedule an abortion. The two were
sisters, she learned. The older sister was there for
the abortion, the younger one for support.

The intern saw an opportunity.

"I offered her a free sonogram appointment and began
to tell her about fetal development. She was so
surprised to find out that her baby's heart started
to beat at 17 to 21 days," the intern said. "She
thought that wouldn't happen until the sixth month. I
asked her what she knew about the abortion procedure,
what had they told her in the clinic? She knew
nothing, so I started to explain."

The woman who had tried to schedule the abortion said
she wasn't feeling very well, so the intern offered
to treat her and her sister to lunch

As they walked to the burger shop, the intern and the
younger sister had to steady the older sister.

About that time, some clinic escorts walked towards
them -- and then walked right past. "They saw a girl
in obvious distress who had just come out of the
clinic," said the intern. "They just didn't seem to
care!"

The pro-life people on the sidewalk tell the women
going into the clinic that they are there to help
them. "Of course, the 'clinic escorts' scoff at the
idea," the intern said, "but when it counts, the
proof is in the pudding."

They sat in that restaurant talking for a long time
-- "almost two hours," said the intern. "She started
to feel better. In the end, she decided not to abort
her baby!"

By the time lunch was over, this young woman knew
that even if she faced hardships or had to make
sacrifices, it would all be worth it for the life of
her child.

God bless pro-lifers in the Big Apple -- and all
around the world!