Day 26 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

That those who have forgotten their purpose may discover it in God and therefore have the courage to choose life.

Scripture:

These all wait for you, that you may give them their food in due season, what you give them they gather in; you open your hand they are filled with good. You hide your face, they are troubled; you take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. You send forth your Spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.

-- Psalm 104:27-30

Reflection:

"I am a feather on the breath of God."

As the quote above portrays, we are upheld by the power and purpose of God. Our very existence on earth, from our body's first breath to its last, when we leave it to return home, is our Father's choice and happens only by His willing to do so.

He who created the universe also created that which is "me." I do not "have" a soul - I AM a soul, as well as a body. My entire purpose in this life is to find my way back to my Creator.

Prayer:

Beloved Father, remind us today that there is no truth but you. Do not let us fall prey to the evil one's lie that we may choose death. Remind us right now that you, who created all life, are in control of all life, and let us know right now that you who created all life, are in control of all life, and let us choose life always.

Father, please let us hear your voice more today than yesterday. Keep lighting the pathway home, for us and for all who participate in this 40 Days for Life campaign. Father, we're on our way. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, amen.

Vera Faith Lord
Director, Alpha/Omega Life Ministry
Representative of the Orthodox Church to the National Pro-life Religious Council

40 Days For Life

Community Organizers - Spain

An impressive show of solidarity and independence had over one million Spaniards in the street, protesting the government's proposal to liberalize abortion laws. Although the EU/UN does not have an official mandate of abortion advocacy, both organizations have pressured member states, especially developing nations, to change legislation in favour of open access to abortion.

(h/t BIG BLUE WAVE)

Day 25 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

We pray for the conversion of all those who refuse to acknowledge that human life belongs only to God.

Scripture:

Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you; I ordained you a prophet to the nations."

-- Jeremiah 1:4-5

Reflection:

To be or not to be? There is no question!

The question of "being" is something philosophers have long pondered. What is the meaning of being and what is the source? In the passage before us, we have our answer. We have being because we are known by God.

For God to declare that he knows and sets apart the prophet Jeremiah even before he is conceived indicates that our being rests in God's own being. Because He is and because He wills we, therefore, are and do. The Apostle Paul says as much when he declares before the philosophers of his day, "In Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28).

One of the tragedies of the abortion culture is that life in the womb has been so heartbreakingly devalued. To embrace the arguments of the "pro-choice" crowd one must conclude that the child in the womb doesn't exist, isn't there, has no being. But nothing could be further from the truth. That child is known by God and, as such, has being.

Prayer:

Lord God, we confess that in You we live and move and have our being. Because You are, we are. May we find grace from You to affirm the being of every human and may we labor to make this truth known to the world around us. Amen.

Rev. J. Kirk van der Swaagh
Pastor, Conservative Congregational Christian Conference

40 Days For Life

Especially For Fr. Rosica

I really like this 'badge' from Jay Anderson's "Pro Ecclesia".

Maybe we should all use this badge to make it easier for Fr. Rosica and the CCCB to identify those who are paying attention....

Day 24 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

Pray that God will continue to bless the efforts that have gone into the 40 Days for Life campaign, as we trust Him for the results.

Scripture:

Now these are Your servants and Your people, whom You have redeemed by Your great power, and by Your strong hand. O Lord, I pray, please let Your ear be attentive to the prayer of Your servant, and to the prayer of Your servants who desire to fear Your name.

-- Nehemiah 1:10-11

Reflection:

Nehemiah provides an awesome blueprint for volunteers in God's service, particularly those responding to the devastation abortion has caused our nation.

Nehemiah grieved for God's reputation as he witnessed the condition of the city walls of Jerusalem. The walls were broken down which was seen by neighboring people as a sign of weakness on the part of Jerusalem's God. No wall meant no security for the city and its people.

We learn from his story that he covered every detail in prayer; inspired others to join the cause; organized others to help do the work; confronted opposition directly and turned to God when discouraged; and finally celebrated what was accomplished and gave God all the glory!

Like Nehemiah, we must acknowledge God's sovereignty as we serve Him before a mocking world. We too need to be reminded that we are "fighting" for our families. We too must have an attitude of confession and repentance before a Holy God. We must pray for strength, refute slander, and not be diverted from our work.

Like Nehemiah, we will draw attention from the enemy when we are seeking to protect the well-being of God's people. We too must stand firm and seek God's help to persevere until the task is done. We too will be victorious.

Prayer:

Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in heaven and in the earth is Yours. We pray for your continued guidance and protection throughout the remainder of this 40 day campaign. May we be steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in Your work, knowing that our labor will not be in vain. We pray in the name of Jesus, amen.

Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" Talk Show

40 Days For Life

Meet A Community Organizer

From Halifax, Nova Scotia:

Ellen has been working with Campaign Life Coalition for 20 years now, and she is a veteran in Nova Scotia's pro-life movement. She was there on McCully Street when the Morgentaler clinic was in operation. She organizes every Life Chain in the fall and every March for Life in the spring.
And now she is the organizing force behind 40 Days, she keeps the schedule humming and she makes countless phone calls to fill the vigil hours.

Here is what Ellen has to say about her experience with 40 Days for Life:

Dear vigil attendees,

The 40 Days for Life campaign is a focused vision to access God's power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil at the site where abortions are committed. Our presence is a strong witness that we abhor the killing of pre-born children and are offering up to God our prayers for the souls of these children and also our prayers of repentance, asking God to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life.

When I arrive at the vigil site, I immediately feel a sense of calm. I usually walk up and down carrying the small sign while listening to Christian music, unless it is raining, at which time I sit under the umbrella and pray. One very rainy morning, I arrived rather early - 7:30 am - and did my walk about. After the "early bird" attendees left, I sat under my umbrella and prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more until I realized that an hour surely must have passed. I had forgotten my watch and my cell phone had died so I checked with a worker near by, and indeed my hour had finished and I was now into the next. 2 l/2 hours passed before someone else arrived - and you know what? - I didn't feel anxious or angry that I had been there that long. In fact, I felt so blessed and refreshed. You see, I'm a very busy person - I spend most of my time working out of my home for Campaign Life doing pro-life work, as well as church work, all in between running with my children. And although I attend Mass daily, rarely, if at all, do I spend time in quiet prayer - one on one with the Lord. So this day I thought .... the Lord wants us to come to Him and He is calling me to a deeper prayer life! I believe the forgotten watch and dead cell phone was a message for me to stay put and continue praying. So I thank God for the "no-shows", which allowed me to stay quiet and know that He is near.

The V.G. Hospital site is a place of Grace where we are indeed walking on Holy ground in the spirit of our Lord. Abortions are performed there daily and even when it rains, so be faithful to your commitment and don't let the devil get you down!

God bless, Ellen

Many of us know community organizers like Ellen Chesal. They sacrifice in their own daily lives striving to save the lives, and souls, of their fellow man. Let's get behind these people by putting our own selves 'out there'. Let's make some real communities.

Day 23 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

We pray for the strength to love those who do not love us.

Scripture:

But the Lord said "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and much livestock? Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

-- Jonah 4:10-11

Reflection:

God doesn't value people and things like we do. Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful people. We love our dogs more than a terrorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate teenager's womb.

But God isn't like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were the capstone of God's creation. We were created on the sixth day after God had completed the land, the stars, the plants and the animals. Therefore, His love for us is greater than His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created thing. And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the most sinful people and seeks to bring them into His merciful arms. And it's a love that seeks to touch all of his created children: that desperate teenager, the baby growing in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists. So it's up to us to imitate God's merciful love by helping and praying for those who persecute us, and those who don't love us back.

Prayer:

Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of most difficult things you could ask of us. Please remind us that this is how you love and that if you ask it of us then you will give us the grace to do it. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dennis DiMauro
Lutherans for Life representative to the National Pro-life Religious Council

40 Days For Life

WW11 Redux : Where IS This Going?

Those European megalomaniacs just can't stand independent thinker Vaclav Klaus. With Ireland's second-vote cave-in, they're feeling their oats.

France and Germany want to stifle the freedom of the Czech people's choice....so what's new!?

Day 22 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

May those who hold life as trivial realize that we live because God wills it so.

Scripture:

Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this, in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.

-- Job 12:9-10

Reflection:

Job was a man acquainted with grief, trials and tribulation. He had everything taken from him, including his family. He endured sickness, ridicule and judgment from his friends. Everyone gave him advice about his situation, questioning his spirituality and his God. Job's circumstances were bad but he never loses faith. Why? Because "the hand of the Lord has made all life." Created by God, he knows his life has meaning and purpose, regardless of the circumstances.

In our present culture, we've lost that basic truth; every life is made and allowed to live by God's sovereign authority. As people who pride ourselves on our independence, we have a hard time acknowledging our dependence on God. From our creation, when we were knit together in our mother's womb to our last breath, God's word is clear that "in His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind."

It's time for us as individuals, and as a society, to recognize that we exist by God's grace and turn back to Him, honoring His word and His teachings. Why? Because our world is full of Jobs, people who are dealing with trials and tribulations and hurting desperately. Job's response should be ours as well. Regardless of what we face (even an unplanned pregnancy) God in His wisdom and mercy will redeem it. How do I know? Job's friends who doubted God's sovereignty cry out to God asking for help, God instructs Job to pray for his friends and after he does, God restores all that Job had lost. In other words, because Job never lost faith and knew and trusted His Creator, the Lord blessed Job.

Prayer:

Thank you Father God for being the Creator of my life and every life. Please give me, and the society in which I live, an appreciation for your gift of life. Please help us set aside our pride and acknowledge that we need you. Show me how I can honor you today in response to all the blessings you bestow so freely. In the name of Jesus, amen.

Georgette Forney
President, Anglicans for Life

40 Days For Life

Day 21 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

Pray that we each will daily put on the full armor of God, so that we are strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

Scripture:

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all, to stand.

- Ephesians 6:12-13

Reflection:

I am confounded to see how the battle over the issue of life is perceived more often in churches today as political rather than spiritual. Ironically, the enemy has used this twisted perception to silence many in the body of Christ. We must see the battle for what it is and if we are to be prepared to face the spiritual enemy on the issue of abortion, we must daily "put on" the armor God has given us:

* Gird your waist with Truth (vs. 14) - Commit your emotions to believe truth and to speak truth, regardless of the repercussions.
* Put on the breastplate of Righteousness (vs. 14) -It will protect our hearts - the innermost springs of our beings - from all unrighteousness so evident in this fallen world.
* Shod your feet with the preparation of the Gospel of Peace. (vs. 15) -Preparation is vital if we are to be effective in God's work.
* Taking the shield of faith (vs.16) - The Accuser will instill doubt, fear, and guilt. Faith acts as an invisible shield that deflects such false accusations.
* Taking the Helmet of salvation (vs.17) - A helmet protects the head, the brain and in turn our mind and thoughts. Satan hopes we will set aside divine revelation for human reasoning.
* Taking the sword of the Spirit (vs.17) - The Word of God, the only offensive weapon in this armor, was used by the Lord Jesus against Satan. The living Word is powerful and effective.

Our armor is complete. We are ready to wage war, and the next verse tells us how, "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit." (vs.18)

Prayer:

Dear Lord, as you lead us into the spiritual battle of abortion may we be reminded that the battle is truly Yours. We thank you for equipping us with Your armor. Lead us daily to put it on! Thank you for allowing us to serve under your command, and for hearing our requests for direction and protection. Thank you for the victory that is ours because of Your Son Jesus, amen.

Carmen Pate
Co-host, "Point of View" talk show

40 Days For Life

Day 20 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

May God's justice sober our society, and may mercy triumph over judgment.

Scripture:

Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man's brother I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man's blood, by man his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God He made man.

- Genesis 9:5-6

Reflection:

The value of every human being can hardly be seen more clearly than with this verse. God, the King of the universe, has created all human beings in his image, and declares forthrightly that shedding the blood of any individual will require the blood of the one who shed it. God's concern for human beings is not limited to any particular group. Indeed, his concern is universal, and includes male and female, young and old, born and unborn, disabled and able-bodied, the citizens of every nation on earth.

Abortion, the deliberate killing of the unborn, is the shedding of innocent blood. Surely the blood of millions upon millions of innocent children cries out to God. It is true that we live in an age of grace, and yet this passage (among many other texts which express similar sentiments) should give every thinking Christian pause.

Christians of all people, entrusted with the Word of God as we are, must take a stand. We must speak out. We must do all that we can to protect the innocent, to pursue justice, and to encourage the repentance of all those who bear responsibility for this great evil. Only in this manner can we hope to forestall the judgment that must otherwise surely come.

This passage should also be seen as an encouragement to educate and disciple our children and grandchildren about what it means to be human, and the responsibility that will become theirs in this ongoing struggle.

Prayer:

O Father, forgive us for our lack of courage and our want of compassion for the unborn and for those lost and hurt by abortion. Fill us anew with your Spirit. Renew our minds, strengthen us in righteousness, help us be people of salt and light within our nation. May every human being, from conception to natural death, be treated with the respect due those made in your image. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Rev. John Brown
Director, United Friends for Life (United Church of Christ)

40 Days For Life

Day 19 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

We pray for a renewal of our zeal to offer generous help to the unborn and their families.

Scripture:

If I have despised the cause of my male or female servant When they complained against me, What then shall I do when God rises up? When He punishes, how shall I answer Him? Did not He who made me in the womb make them? Did not the same One fashion us in the womb?

-- Job 31:13-15

Reflection:

The ground is level as we stand before God.

Job lived with an awe provoking sense of God's expectation of him, particularly regarding his obligation to care for the weak and needy. He knew that in God's economy everyone stands on level ground when it comes to our status as God's creatures. Because of that central truth, we must take care of each other.

Job also knew that he didn't deserve any of the good things God gave to him. Instead, those blessings came to Job from God's benevolent heart. As an extension of that knowledge, Job instinctively linked his obligation to be generous to others to God's kindness toward him.

As in Jesus' parable of the unmerciful servant (Matthew 18:23-35), Job knew that it is an egregious sin to deny to others what we enjoy ourselves. He actually calls down on his own head severe condemnation and even punishment should he fail to share with others out of his own abundance (see verses 16-23).

Proverbs 3:27 reads, "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of your hand to do so." Some things are so obvious that we don't even need to pray except to ask of God forgiveness and the power to do what so obviously needs doing.

Prayer:

God, forgive us when we try to explain away the obligation we have to help others who need help. Enable us to not devalue them because they are in the circumstance that they are in, but to see them for what they are, those, who like us, were formed by your hand in their mother's womb. Amen.

Rev. Rob Schenck
President, Faith and Action, and National Clergy Council

40 Days For Life

UN Resolution To Outlaw 'Hate' Speech

A resolution, co-sponsored by the US and approved by the UN Human Rights Council, asks for the criminalization of 'hate' speech:

EuropeNews:

the resolution, cosponsored by the U.S. and Egypt, calls on states to condemn and criminalize “any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.”

Sound familiar? Perhaps that's what Jennifer Lynch has been up to, and why she refuses to back down from her untenable position of excusing the abuse rampant in the CHRC she is responsible for.

Good work, Canada.

Meanwhile, in other 'spread the grief' news, Cardinal Antonelli speaks bluntly about the bucket of woe dumping on Africa, courtesy agencies our tax dollars support, and our politicians, media, and educators laud:

The agents of various international institutions and organizations start from real problems, which must be dutifully resolved, such as the injustice and violence suffered by women, infant mortality, malnutrition and famine, problems related to housing and work. They propose solutions based on the values of equality, health and liberty: sacrosanct concepts, but rendered ambiguous by the new anthropological meanings that are given to them. For example, equality of people no longer just means equal dignity and access to fundamental human rights; but also the irrelevance of the natural differences between men and women, the uniformity of all individuals, as though they were sexually undifferentiated, and therefore the equality of all sexual orientations and behavior: heterosexual, homosexual, bisexual, transsexual, polymorphous.....
....This ideology is spread by reproductive health centers, local educational meetings and international TV programs broadcast via satellite. Collaboration of African governments and local groups, including ecclesial groups, is sought, and these groups usually don’t realize the ethically unacceptable anthropological implications of this.

Implications of which can be seen clearly in the disintergration of the family and the eroding of the value of a human life in Western society.

The constant push for homosexuality and abortion to be accepted as 'norms' and 'good', would be a lot easier for the UN if in every country it was illegal to speak up against them, wouldn't it.

The US already has the wheels in motion...

Day 18 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

We pray for a flowering of the joy of parenthood.

Scripture:

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one's youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.

-- Psalm 127:3-5

Reflection:

I still vividly remember the day my first child was born. As she came into the world I gazed upon the most beautiful little baby I'd ever seen. Later I was driving home from the hospital for a shower and a fresh change of clothes when a song came on the radio, "The Men in My Little Girl's Life" -- a ballad about being a father as he watches his daughter grow through childhood to womanhood. I wept as I listened, knowing those years would go by very fast… and they did.

Being a father, whenever I read the Psalm quoted above I'm always captivated by one word - "heritage." It basically means "something passed down from a preceding generation." That little girl I watched being born and wept for is not mine to give to God like a product of our fertility, but rather His, which he has entrusted to us. So are all her siblings.

My wife and I share a great treasure: precious lives, which are placed in our lineage that His life with us might be perpetuated. To the psalmist, this was a blessing from the Lawgiver, God Himself, who blessed Israel with another generation intended to continue their covenantal promise. For us in Christ, it is his gift of succeeding generations for His Church and her families.

These days I'm looking upon my grandchildren, and rejoicing that my children and their spouses will pass on the greatness of Christ's gospel to them and thus will continue the work of God in the world. What a blessing. What a heritage!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, please keep me from taking for granted the gift of children. Help us to remember this heritage that you have given us. Make us faithful stewards of these precious lives, that each generation might be raised in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Randolph Sly
National Pro-life Religious Council

40 Days For Life

'Culture Of Death' Wins Nobel Peace Prize - Yeah World!

I stopped putting much stock in the Nobel Peace Prize after it was awarded to Yasser Arafat. Today's award is in the same category of scandalous.
I realize that what might seem scandalous to me, would not necessarily scandalize a Norwegian, but there it is.
A man who was nominated before he could do anything (11 days into his presidency) and subsequently made move after move to solidify the grip of the Culture of Death on the peoples of the United States, has been awarded an international prize for 'peace'.

Not really surprising, considering the EU's and the UN's persistent push and bullying to accomplish world wide acceptance of homosexuality and abortion as 'good'.

Yeah World!

Day 17 - 40 Days For Life

Intention:

May all understand more deeply that the pro-life message is rooted in the two basic truths of life:

1. There is a God;
2. He isn't me

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

40 Days For Life

I.W.K. Doing Late-Term Abortions - Halifax

Julie Culshaw updates us on what the acclaimed 'children's hospital' in Halifax has been up to:

...A nurse who works in the IWK (I don't know who she is) revealed to someone that she was very shaken and disturbed by the fact that a 37-week old baby was aborted because it had a severe heart defect. The doctors and parents chose abortion over post-partum surgery.

We all know of wonderful cases where the most amazing surgeries have been performed on infants and they have survived to live long and fruitful lives. Yes, there are many, I am sure, who have to live with heart problems and don't live fully active lives, but are their lives any less valuable?

And who are we to make that judgment? We all only get one chance to be born. There is only one set of DNA that makes up you, a unique individual. Yet, abortion gives someone the power to decide that an individual won't get to enter this world. That person will never come to exist here; they are gone forever. Yes, God looks after the babies, I know that, but God also intends for them to live here in this world, not to be killed in the womb. One chance and one chance only - that baby with the heart defect was not given that chance. Whether the parents decided they couldn't face looking after a child with health problems or whether the doctors advised them not to spend all that time and money on a baby that wouldn't be healthy, or whether it was both, they decided to end that child's life. Did anyone consider how much that decision is going to cost those parents?...

...My oldest daughter, Rebecca, was born at 37 weeks gestation, weighing 4 pounds seven ounces - this one really hits home. At that point, she was moving around inside me, hiccuping, rolling over, sleeping and waking, trusting that she was perfectly safe within her mother. This baby also trusted that he was safe, but he wasn't. Someone else decided that he didn't deserve to live.

This is not an isolated incident. We have heard twice now that late term abortions are being done in the IWK, which is the Children's Hospital, a place that is synonmous with caring for children, especially children with special needs. Now it will be synonmous with a place to kill those who are too much trouble.

Keep on praying, our prayers are ripping aside the curtain of darkness that hides these evil deeds from the light. And God will expose the deeds done in darkness, He will cast light on those things done in the name of good, but which are evil in His sight...

I find this very disturbing. My two youngest children were born at the I.W.K. Its heartbreaking to think that bringing life and administering death are so closely linked in this hospital. They share some of the same equipment, and even some of the same staff. How can anyone feel secure bringing their loved ones to a place that can serve up life and death on the same plate?

Please pray for all those families, who due to the one-payer health system in Canada, have no choice but to trust the I.W.K. with their loved ones. Please also pray for my future daughter-in-law, who is studying to be a nurse in this unholy environment. May God keep her strong and safe.

Day 16 - 40 Days For Life

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

40 Days For Life

Fr. Corapi On Leadership and Corruption

Does anyone yet doubt the catastrophic results the Winnipeg Statement has had on the life of the Church in Canada, and the life of Canadians in general? Or even on the number of lives ? Fr. Corapi of S.O.L.T. speaks bluntly :





Our little parish in Grand Cayman has three young parishioners with S.O.L.T. and one with the diocese of Detroit. Vocations come from Truth revealed, not corrupted. We've been very fortunate here, only fifty years into our mission in Cayman, to have good solid priests and a core of faithful, prayerful families. We depend heavily on the graces provided through the daily offering of Mass, and our Adoration Chapel.

God is Good.

"Defend Belmont Abbey College" - Sen. Rick Santorum

The Obama Administration is working to erase respect for conscience from health insurance and the law in general…

Don’t believe me?

In his address at the University of Notre Dame, Obama talked a good game about respecting conscience on abortion rights. He did the same thing when he met the Pope. But that was all it was -- talk.

The Obama Administration’s attack on Belmont Abbey College proves that.

Belmont Abbey College is a small, private, Catholic college located in North Carolina. For 130 years, it and the Benedictine monks who run it have been dedicated to handing on the Catholic faith.

But the Obama Administration is now trying to force them to abandon that faith or go out of business.

You see, the Administration at Belmont Abbey College removed contraception, abortion, and voluntary sterilization from its faculty's health care policy after discovering it had accidentally been a part of existing plans.

Employees of the school who objected to this change in policy brought a complaint against the school accusing them of “gender discrimination.”

This accusation against Belmont Abbey College couldn’t be further from the truth.

Belmont Abbey College was not discriminating against women. Unlike many “believers in name only” the college was adhering to the principles of its faith.

At first, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) found no evidence of gender discrimination by Belmont Abbey College…..

After a few weeks, the EEOC mysteriously reversed course and announced, in effect, that the college had better toe the Administration’s line, or else.

They are now demanding the school go against the very principles it exists to serve.

Don’t be fooled.

Killing or funding the killing of unborn children has nothing to do with promoting human health. And including these atrocities in every “health care” plan -- no matter how shrewdly hidden or diplomatically stated – violates the consciences of Catholics everywhere.
No Catholic college or other religious institution should ever be required by the government to violate its moral beliefs ...

... Which is why I’m asking for your help today.

Your immediate support for the defense of Belmont Abbey College is VITAL, not only for Belmont Abbey, but for all religious institutions in America.

Too many were silent when Obama went to Notre Dame. As a result his Administration has been emboldened to attack all Catholic institutions. Now, they are shamelessly picking on a small Catholic college – Belmont Abbey.

Tomorrow it could be your local church, the parochial school you send your kids to, it could be the Jesus bumper sticker on your car…

If Obama is given the opportunity to attack even the oldest and most respected religious establishments across the country, what will be next?

The President of Belmont Abbey College has bravely stated that he would rather close the school than go against the church’s most fundamental teachings ...

I commend him for his moral conviction, but I’m afraid for the future of religious freedom in our country.

… Think I’m overreacting?

The impact of even one Catholic college knuckling under or closing would be a catastrophe for all religious institutions.

Which is why I am asking for your help.

Will you stand with me against the Obama Administration’s war on conscience?

Luckily, the Belmont Abbey College has enlisted the help of a law firm that specializes in defending against this type of travesty. It’s called the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty.

The Becket Fund has a solid reputation for being the best in the business.

I know first hand how effective the Becket Fund is in preserving our freedom of religion. I’ve known them for years.

Way back in the Clinton Administration when Clinton threatened to court-martial military chaplains who followed their consciences by preaching against Clinton’s veto of the Partial Birth Abortion Ban, it was the Becket Fund that filed suit in federal court and got that gag order struck down.

And just this past week, when the Freedom from Religion Foundation sued to strike “under God” from the Pledge of Allegiance, it was the Becket Fund that intervened in the case and successfully defended the Pledge.

In between they have successfully defended all sorts of believers and religious institutions.

Archbishop Chaput knows them well too. As he likes to say, “The work of The Becket Fund for Religious Liberty is more than ‘good.’ It’s vital.”

By contributing to the Becket Fund, you can directly support religious freedom — for Belmont Abbey — and every other religious school or institution in the country.

Make no mistake, this will not be easy. The Obama Administration is relentless about silencing religious believers.

Will you do me a personal favor, in the name of religious freedom, and contribute – today -- to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty’s fight for Belmont Abbey College and for all other religious institutions?

Time is of the essence. Belmont Abbey College stands for the moral teachings and principles of the Catholic Church -- it stands for life.

... You and I simply cannot allow the radical leftists in this country to succeed in demanding Belmont Abbey College turn its back on the most basic and fundamental teachings of the church or else close.

Belmont Abbey President William Thierfelder recently said, "All of us need to have moral courage in today's world." He added. "We are so resolute in our commitment to the teachings of the Catholic Church that there is no possible way we would ever deviate from it, and if it came down to it ... we would close the school rather than give in ...”

.... Will you exercise your moral courage and help me defend Belmont Abbey College with an urgent and immediate contribution of $500, $250, $100, $35, or whatever you can afford, to prevent religious freedom from becoming a thing of the past?

I’m counting on you to act TODAY!

God Bless,

Hon. Rick Santorum
United State Senator 1995-2007

P.S. I’m tired of hearing outsiders and insiders tell Catholics and other devout religious believers to keep quiet about our religious and moral views in society. That's a kind of bullying. And I don't think Catholics or persons of any faith should accept it....
For the sake and the right of religious liberty for all, I urge you to contribute to the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, and support the Belmont Abbey College, TODAY!

Excellent coverage of this issue can be found at Deliberate Engagement

Day 15 - 40 Days For Life

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

40 Days For Life

Day 14 - 40 Days For Life

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

40 Days For Life

Pain and Suffering in the Diocese of Antigonish

The past several weeks has been heart wrenching and traumatic for many in the Diocese of Antigonish,Nova Scotia - including the faithful. The recent settlement of a class action suit against the Diocese - which holds a possibility of healing for the Church, the victims, and the faithful - brought the past sins of betrayal and neglect to the forefront. This week's arrest of Bishop Raymond Lahey on charges concerning child pornography has devastated everybody. Catholics and non-Catholics alike are in shock.

Archbishop Anthony Mancini of Halifax issued an initial press release on September 30, followed by a pastoral letter. He is now the Administrator of the Diocese of Antigonish.

The last few days I have personally received several e-mails asking me "what do you think about this?"

I think its horrible. I shudder to remember that only last summer two of my kids went to a Catholic camp in the Diocese of Antigonish, with Bishop Lahey serving Mass and hearing confessions.

I regret the victims abused in the making of the pornography, and the souls lost in the consuming of it.

I fear the consequences for those with a struggling faith.

My heart aches for the extra suffering of the good and faithful priests serving Our Lord with humility and love.

I think that now more than ever, we must remember who to turn to for the comfort, love, forgiveness and redemption we need.

God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

In their unitive love rests the healing of all our pain,shame,confusion and despair.



Catholics United To Peter has published a Novena for the Diocese of Antigonish:

THIRTY DAYS’ PRAYER TO ST. JOSEPH

Ever blessed and glorious Joseph, kind and loving father, and helpful friend of all in sorrow! You are the good father and protector of orphans, the defender of the defenseless, the patron of those in need and sorrow. Look kindly on my request. My sins have drawn down on me the just displeasure of my God, and so I am surrounded with unhappiness. To you, loving guardian of the Family of Nazareth, do I go for help and protection.

Listen then, I beg you, with fatherly concern, to my earnest prayers, and obtain for me the favors I ask.

I ask it by the infinite mercy of the eternal Son of God, which moved Him to take our nature and to be born into this world of sorrow.

I ask it by the weariness and suffering you endured when you found no shelter at the inn of Bethlehem for the holy Virgin, nor a place where the Son of God could be born. Then, being everywhere refused, you had to allow the Queen of Heaven to give birth to the world’s Redeemer in a cave.

I ask it by the loveliness and power of that sacred Name, Jesus, which you conferred on the adorable Infant.

I ask it by that painful torture you felt at the prophecy of holy Simeon, which declared the Child Jesus and His holy Mother future victims of our sins and of their great love for us.

I ask it through your sorrow and pain of soul when the angel declared to you that the life of the Child Jesus was sought by His enemies. From their evil plan you had to flee with Him and His Blessed Mother into Egypt. I ask it by all the suffering, weariness, and labors of that long and dangerous journey.

I ask it by all your care to protect the Sacred Child and His Immaculate Mother during your second journey, when you were ordered to return to your own country. I ask it by your peaceful life in Nazareth where you met with so many joys and sorrows.

I ask it by your great distress when the adorable Child was lost to you and His Mother for three days. I ask it by your joy at finding Him in the Temple, and by the comfort you found at Nazareth, while living in the company of the Child Jesus. I ask it by the wonderful submission He showed in His obedience to you.

I ask it by the perfect love and conformity you showed in accepting the Divine order to depart from this life, and from the company of Jesus and Mary. I ask it by the joy which filled your soul when the Redeemer of the world, triumphant over death and hell, entered into the possession of His kingdom and led you into it with special honors.

I ask it through Mary’s glorious assumption and through that endless happiness you share with her in the presence of God.

O good father! I beg you, by all your sufferings, sorrows and joys, to hear me and obtain for me what I ask. (For the recovery of Bishop Lahey; and also that the Pope will send a very saintly, obedient Bishop to shepherd the Antigonish Diocese, who will obey Redemptionis Sacramentum (March 19, 2004), Motu Proprio (of 7 July 2007) and all church teachings)

Obtain for all those who have asked my prayers everything that is useful to them in the plan of God. Finally, my dear patron and father, be with me and all who are dear to me in our last moments, that we may eternally sing the praises of

JESUS, MARY and JOSEPH

“A blameless life, St. Joseph, may we lead, by your kind patronage from danger freed.”

Day 13 - 40 Days For Life

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

40 Days For Life

Love In Action - Ottawa

Desspite 30 + years of the media and politicians telling us that the subject is closed, folks continue to discuss abortion. People of faith continue to pray for babies , mothers and fathers killed and damaged by abortion.

Deborah Gyapong has the latest from Ottawa:

...What a joy of course to see Ottawa's Roman Catholic Archbishop Terrence Prendergast standing in front of the Civic with an "Abortion hurts women" sign, he was praying silently as were the others who lined both sides of the street.

My Anglican Catholic Bishop for Ontario and Quebec was standing on the median with an "Abortion kills children" sign. Lots of folks from our mightly little Annunciation parish were out in force...

(h/t big blue wave)