Just Enough…
Is what we do on the sidewalks in front of Planned Parenthood ENOUGH? There we are, in our many layers of clothing, hats and gloves…some kneeling on the wet pavement…human excrement in the doorway in front of us…while just inside those walls Planned Parenthood routinely and cooly ends the lives of over 3,000 humans each year. They get enough tax dollars to fund them indefinitely, whether they operate in the black or not. They have the media, the culture and the government on their side. Who are we to think that we can make a difference by praying on the sidewalk? So I am thinking about what exactly is ENOUGH?
This morning, during my time with the Lord, I was reading the story of Elijah and the widow whose oil and flour never ran out, from 3 Kings 17:8-6. In this story, there is a severe famine and no one has enough to eat. God directs Elijah to a certain widow, who is ready to use up the last bit of her flour and oil to feed herself and her son a final meal before they die. Elijah asks her to take some of that flour and make a cake for him first…and he promised her that if she did that, her food would not run out. The widow believed him and it happened just as Elijah had promised. As I was reading this, I imagined what the container of oil and flour might have looked like, and it occurred to me that that they were probably mostly empty. Even after she made the cake for herself and her son…it doesn’t say that her pot was full…it just says that it did not run out. The next morning, when she looked at her almost-empty container…she had to trust again that there would be enough for that day. And the next day, and so on. Every day, she had to trust. Every day the flask seemed ready to run out. She was never afforded the luxury of seeing with her eyes an abundance of food, or the knowledge that she had enough to get through to the end of the famine. She had to take it day by day. Each day trusting and believing.
It is the same with our pro-life outreach on Liberty Avenue. It doesn’t seem like it will be enough to save lives and change hard hearts. If we look at the situation with worldly human eyes, it seems that our little efforts on the sidewalk will never have an impact in ending abortion in our city. Our efforts are just not enough. We will get overwhelmed.
We need to remember that it is God who is watching over us, and He is watching out for us.
This past Saturday I was at my parish’s Christian Mother’s meeting, with a large group of about 80 women, many who had their babies with them. While the toddlers and preschoolers are being looked after by the teenagers in another room, the very little ones join us for our meetings. While I was passing through the crowded hallway, I spotted a tiny tot who appeared to be lost in the crowd. He ran past my legs and I was momentarily alarmed…wondering who he belonged to. Should I scoop him up and try to find his mom? I watched him as he anxiously made his way among the women…and then I saw a young woman looking at him. She never took her eyes off him. I asked her if he was hers, and she smiled and nodded, explaining that he was not happy being held by her and wanted down to explore, so she let him. She was keeping her eyes on him the entire time. He was not lost, although he must have thought he was.
Just as that little baby felt overwhelmed in that sea of legs and strangers towering over him, we can also feel overwhelmed at the enormity of the abortion culture that surrounds us. Thankfully, we have our Heavenly Father watching out for us, just as that mother was watching her son. She never took her eyes off of him, and God will never take His eyes off of us.
It won’t be us who ends abortion…it will be HIM! He just lets us help.
Now, on to the shift reports from today…
7-9 – Cathy, Mark & Claudia
It was cold this morning, though started to warm slightly after awhile. A lot of workers went in, and a number of men, some with cases. Didn’t look like they were there for trans treatments? Only one woman, who was alone, went in. Hopefully the rest of the day will not be as busy as it looks like it could be.
Cathy 7-9
9-11 – Elsie & Linda
Elsie and I were joined on our shift by a faithful group of intercessors from Divine Redeemer Parish in Sewickley, who braved the cold weather. They included Fr. Brian, Kathy (Fr. Brian’s Mom,) Jim, Marian, Terri, Renate, and Keith. Bill stopped by to bless the building with Holy Water. Pete joined us for prayer and to share the love of Jesus to passersby.
Linda, 9-11
It seemed to be a busy abortion day, with a lot of women and couples entering PP. No one was interested in hearing about alternatives. Fr. Brian’s mom was shocked at how many victims were going in — she said it was very different from an abortuary where she had prayed in Virginia.
As usual on Wednesdays, the Brinks truck showed up to give concrete evidence of what Planned Parenthood’s bottom line is. On a bright note, a pretty mother proudly showed us her son in his baby carriage and thanked us for being there. She asked for our prayers (please pray for “Mommy A”!) and gladly accepted Birthright literature for help with diapers and clothes. She was clearly delighted with her darling son
11-1 – Katie
Thank you to parishioners of St. Agnes and St. Joan of Arc for praying with us today! It seemed a little bit less busy than usual today, and not much happened during our shift except praying the rosary, DMC and Stations, and trying to offer love and hope to the mothers.
Katie, 11-1
1-3 – Chris & Judy Z
What a Blessing my shift was today! Judy and I were joined in prayer by St. Joseph the Worker parishioners Judy, Bernie, and Dottie, Church of the Divine Shepherd parishioner Ed, St. Aidan parishioner Phil, and Carlos, who prayed the Rosary in Spanish (beautiful!) A few minutes into the shift, five members of The Culture Project (here in Pittsburgh until May) arrived and prayed multiple Rosaries with us. Riese, from North Carolina, MacKenzi from Louisiana, Erin from Texas, and Luke and Jacob. Their mission in the Pittsburgh area is to go into middle and high schools and talk to students about The Theology of the Body. We were standing on both sides of the sidewalk, near the fetal models, forming The Gauntlet of Truth for passersby. God bless these young people for praying with us today!
Chris, 1-3pm
3-5 – Eileen, Larry & Steve
Today, Steve, Eileen, and Larry were joined by Mike, a Penn State student home on Spring Break. We were all happy to have a college student join us on his Spring Break! We received many supportive comments and gestures today, and only a few negative. About six women left PP with their package. We prayed for them. We prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy just after 3:00 PM, and the Rosary about a half hour later. One woman did come through and try to pull the signs down that were wrapped around the steel box on the curb. Our security guard was talking to us at the end of the shift and commented on what a quiet shift it was.
Larry, 3-5pm