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Email for October 5th:

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