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Day 5 - September 26  Intention:May the truth of the final judgment shape our thoughts, priorities, and choices here on earth.Scripture:The King will answer and say to them, "Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me."-- Matthew 25:31-46Reflection:Caring for others is not optional.Jesus' picture of the final judgment concludes with this sobering word: the wicked, who failed to care for others in their various needs (e.g., the hungry, the thirsty, the aliens, the naked, the sick, the imprisoned) will go away into everlasting punishment,...

Day 4 - September 25  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 5:24Reflection: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...

Day 3 - September 24  Intention:We pray for God's gift of strength as we strive to protect human life during these 40 Days for Life.Scripture:Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?-- Matthew 6:25-26Reflection:Billions of dollars are...

Day 2 - September 23 Intention: Pray for those who work in the abortion industry, and for those who have repented of committing abortions and have resolved to defend life. Scripture: Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man." -- Luke 23:46-47 Reflection: "Those of us who have participated in the killing of unborn children are the Centurions of today. We have dropped our swords against the unborn...

Day 1 - September 22   Intention:That we may use these 40 Days for Life to plead for God's mercy and grace upon all those involved in the sin of abortion.Scripture:Blow the trumpet in Zion! Proclaim a fast, call an assembly. Gather the people, notify the congregation. Assemble the elders; gather the children and the infants at the breast… Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep and say, "Spare, O Lord, your people."-- Joel 2:15-17Reflection:The toll of abortion cannot be measured. We hear estimates of almost 50 million innocent victims, but that's only one aspect of the...

THREE ELEMENTS Constant vigil   The visible, public centerpiece of 40 Days for Life is a 40-day, round-the-clock prayer vigil outside a Planned Parenthood center or other abortion facility in your community. Those who are called to stand witness maintain a peaceful and educational presence. This 24-hour-a-day presence send a powerful message to the community about the tragic reality of abortion. It also serves as a call to repentance for those who work at the abortion center and those who patronize the facility.If you do not have an abortion facility or Planned Parenthood office in your town, you can...

40 Days for Life consists of 40 days of prayer and fasting for an end to abortion, 40 days of constant, peaceful vigil outside abortion centers and Planned Parenthood offices and 40 days of active pro-life community outreach. Your community may be participating in this prayerful vigil. If so, please join others in your area or unite with thousands across America during the 40 days of Lent in praying for an end to abortion in this nation.

FORT HUACHUCA — In the Bible, 40-day events have special meanings. On Sunday, a program designed to help the fort’s Christian community to strengthen their beliefs started 40 Days of Purpose on the post, Chaplain (Col.) Glenn Woodson said. “Forty days is significant. There are a number of examples of that number of days in the Bible,” he said Monday. In the Old Testament, Noah experienced 40 days of rain, and Moses spent 40 days on Mount Sinai before returning with the 10 commandments. In the New Testament, Jesus wandered in the wilderness for 40 days and spent the same...

by Fr. William Saunders Other Articles by Fr. William Saunders The Triduum and 40 Days 04/20/06 Is the Triduum part of Lent? When I count the days from Ash Wednesday through Holy Saturday, I find that it only turns out to be 40 if we count the Triduum and do not count the six Sundays during that period. I know that the date of Ash Wednesday was specifically selected to produce a 40-day Lent. So aren’t the three days of the Triduum really part of Lent? Here is one time when the “straight answer” is not going to be clearly “straight.”...

The Ascension of Christ and His Glorified Existence by Fr. William G. MostForty days after his Resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. During this period between his Resurrection and Ascension, He actually gave the primacy He had promised to Peter, as we read in John 21. The many events between His resurrection and ascension preclude the theory that He ascended on Easter. His ascension does not mean that heaven is somewhere up in space. This was a way of making clear that He was leaving the present mode of existence. St. Paul in Colossians 3:1 urges us to live our lives...

ALL ABOUT LENT James Akin Q: What is Lent? A: Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday (the day before Easter Sunday). [This traditional ennumeration does not precisely coincide with the calendar according to the liturgical reform. In order to give special prominence to the Sacred Triduum (Mass of the Lord's Supper, Good Friday, Easter Vigil) the current calendar counts Lent as only from Ash Wednesday to Holy Thursday, up to the Mass of the Lord's Supper. Even so, Lenten practices are properly maintained up to...