September 26, 2009
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. To find the one nearest to you, visit:
http://40daysforlife.com/location.cfm
Your prayers and presence DO make a difference!
Here's your devotional from Fr. Frank Pavone,
national director of Priests for Life...
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DAY 4 INTENTION
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We ask God that we may understand the concept of
justice, as a gift he gives and as a responsibility
that shapes our work.
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SCRIPTURE
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Let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like
a never-failing stream!
-- Amos 5:24
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REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone, Priests for Life
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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.
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PRAYER
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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.
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PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL
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To download today's devotional as a formatted,
printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2009day04print.pdf
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For Life,
David Bereit
National Director
40 Days for Life