[Salvation]

 

Day 4 - September 26

 

Intention:

We ask God that we may understand the concept of justice, as a gift he gives and as a responsibility that shapes our work.

Scripture:

Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream!

-- Amos 5:24

Reflection:

Justice, a key theme of the Scriptures, is something God does and that we too must do.

When God intervenes to save his people when they are helpless and in slavery in Egypt, he "does justice." He manifested his justice in the plagues that were sent upon Egypt, whereby Pharaoh was convinced that he must let the people go. Justice is manifested as, in awe and wonder, God's people see the Red Sea open before them, allow them to pass without even getting their feet wet, and then close again to drown their powerful enemies.

God is a God of Justice; he rescues us when we cannot save ourselves. His justice, above all, is seen in Jesus Christ, who, when we could not save ourselves, rescued us from the kingdom of sin, Satan, death, and hell. The mighty work of Christ on the cross and in the resurrection is the perfect manifestation of God as the God of justice.

We, then, are to be the people of justice; we are to "do justice" by intervening to save the helpless in the name and by the power of the God who saves us who are helpless ourselves. That's why we have a pro-life movement; that's why we have a 40 Days for Life Campaign; that's why saving the unborn is our business.

Prayer:

God of Justice, you heard the cry of your people when they were being oppressed in Egypt, and you proved yourself to be the God of justice, who rescues the helpless. You likewise rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, and brought us into the Kingdom of your Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who saves us from the power of Satan, sin, death, and hell. Make us people of justice, ready to intervene to save the helpless. Indeed, as your prophets have announced, let justice roll on like a mighty river, to save all who are in need, especially the unborn. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Fr. Frank Pavone
National Director, Priests for Life

[Salvation]

Praying DOES have an impact!,p.

One of the unexpected blessings of this 40 Days for
Life campaign thus far is the unprecedented number of
media stories about local campaigns -- and it's not
just the number of stories but the tone of those
reports. Many of them have been highly positive!

An extremely favorable article about the 40 Days for
Life kickoff appeared in the Journal Star, the daily
newspaper in Peoria, Illinois. Here's the first part
of that story:

  Cathy Trowbridge had an abortion and lived to tell
  about it. Not overnight, mind you. But after 34
  soul-searching years, the Princeton resident is
  silent no more.

  "Not everybody can do this," Trowbridge said
  Tuesday night at a rally at Riverfront Park to
  launch the 40 Days for Life campaign. "Not everyone
  that has had an abortion can stand here and be able
  to face a crowd. But that courage comes from Him
  who selects those that can do it."

  Trowbridge told a crowd of about 80 how she paid no
  attention 34 years ago to those praying in front of
  a clinic at 7405 N. University St. in Peoria and
  entered what is now National Health Care and had
  her pregnancy terminated.

  "I didn't know what they were there for,"
  Trowbridge said of the group whose successors
  intend to be in front of the clinic around the
  clock from Wednesday through Nov. 1. "I didn't
  allow myself to look at their signs and figure out
  what they said.

  "I just knew that I was full of fear and
  desperation," Trowbridge continued. "And the people
  that counseled me told me that this is what I
  should do and this is where I should go. And
  because it was legal and lawful and because I
  usually did what I was told, I did. It wasn't until
  much later that I found out the truth."

Read the whole story at:

http://tinyurl.com/ydhfowq

What a powerful account -- and in a secular
newspaper! It's a valuable insight into the mind of
the woman who seeks abortion, and something to keep
in mind as you pray.

Abortion clearly leaves a lasting negative impact.

You even may meet someone at the 40 Days for Life
vigil in your own community who has a story similar
to Cathy's. The 40 Days for Life team in Bakersfield,
California knows it is more common than you might
think. Here's a posting from their blog:

  During Saturday's kickoff rally, a volunteer
  noticed a forlorn woman standing near the vigil
  signup sheets. "I sensed that God wanted me to talk
  to her," the volunteer said.

  "Can I help you sign up for a time to pray at the
  vigil?" the volunteer asked. The woman seemed
  reluctant at first. As the volunteer continued to
  talk to her, eventually she opened up to share the
  internal struggle she was experiencing.

  "Twenty-five years ago," she began, "I aborted my
  baby. Maybe if people like you had been there, my
  baby's life could have been saved."

During this 40 day prayer vigil, as you meet new
people joining you in prayer along the sidewalks
outside abortion facilities and Planned Parenthood
offices, remember that some of the vigil participants
themselves are still struggling with their own
private pain, and pray that they will experience the
fullness of God's healing grace.

Just this morning, at the 40 Days for Life vigil I
was visiting in Lexington, Kentucky, two different
women told me that 40 Days for Life was the vehicle
that helped them to begin the healing process from
their past abortions. One lady even told me that
40 Days for Life saved her from committing suicide.

Wow. We never know how God can work through our
prayers and faithful participation in this effort.

Please take time to pray at the nearest 40 Days for
Life vigil.

 

For Life,

David Bereit