40 Days for Life - Day 38

hope: A wish or desire accompanied by confident expectation of its fulfillment.

LOVE the reflection today!!!!! The last sentence of it says:

"We are called to proclaim, celebrate, and serve that victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ's return and the full flowering of the Culture of Life! Indeed, Sunday's comin'!"

We are confident that the hope we have in Christ will be fulfilled because that is His promise! If we have hope that He will end abortion, we have to believe that it will be so. We may not see it in our day (hopefully that's not true) but it WILL happen. Love, love, love today's reflection. Sunday's comin'!!!!!!!!

Last night was my night praying in front of Planned Parenthood as an "official 2011 40 Days for Life participant". I have to tell you that I will really miss it. I even thought "Well what would stop me from just coming over here sometime and praying?" So maybe I'll do that. I think it would be a great message to Planned Parenthood that just because our 40 days are up we are not going to stop praying for an end to their part in abortion. The weather was beautiful. The sun was shining bright with those beautiful rays that come out from it. There were about 8 of us there and we all joined in praying the rosary. It was a very moving experience. Remember last week I told you about the birds that perched on top of Planned Parenthood for the entire hour. Well last night, as we were praying the rosary, there were two hawk type birds that circled around above us for almost the entire rosary. With the sunbeams coming down from the sun it was an absolutely gorgeous site and it made me feel very strongly the presence of God.

Intention: Pray that we become vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro-life movement.

Scripture: On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen!" -- Luke 24:1-5

Reflection: This meditation, based on a sermon I once heard, is adapted for pro-life concerns. It's Friday. Jesus is on the cross. He has been killed by his enemies; he is off the scene. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'! It's Friday. Abortionists continue their work 3,300 times a day, tearing off the arms and legs of little babies and crushing their heads. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'! It's Friday. Pro-abortion groups receive blood money from billionaires who are as deceived as they are. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'! It's Friday. Liars attempt to speak for all women and hide the pain of abortion, and ignore the evidence of how it harms women, and call abortion a blessing. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'! It's Friday. People of hardened hearts guard the clinics and usher desperate women in to have their abortions, while keeping them from the pro-life people who want to give them hope. But that's because it's Friday. Sunday's comin'! Hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the whole picture, which is that evil is conquered because of what happened one Sunday morning. The power of sin and death has been broken by the Resurrection of Christ. We are called to proclaim, celebrate, and serve that victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ's return and the full flowering of the Culture of Life! Indeed, Sunday's comin'!

Prayer: Lord, fill your people with new hope. Make us vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro-life movement, that as we engage in the difficult work ahead, we may experience the peace and joy that come only from you and that nobody can take away from us. We ask this through Christ our Lord, amen. Darkness is responsible for the despair and hopelessness that leads women to choose abortion. Scripture says that Jesus is "the light of the world." Sometimes, the darker the place, the brighter the light shines. That is certainly the case when we bring the light of Christ to the sidewalk outside abortion facilities. Our role in this historic 40 Days for Life campaign is to be the of light-bearer. We bring Jesus to a place He is desperately needed.