“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 5:10-12
I think it was Billy Graham who would say when preaching, “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” To love the Lord with all our heart, mind, and strength we try do what we can to be sure that our faith permeates every aspect of our life. We like a lot of different styles of music at our house and looking at my Spotify account I noticed that I had a lot of different playlists but nothing Christian at all. It’s true I have the Bible in a Year with Father Mike Schmitz and some Gregorian Chant, but I was lacking specifically Catholic music. I rectified the problem by texting family and friends to ask for their favorite Catholic Hymns or praise and worship songs. A small matter, but still we want everything we do to speak to our faith in Jesus Christ. We find so much corruption in the world it is sometimes a challenge to align all areas of our life with our Christian faith. For instance, it is a struggle finding faithful companies to do business with, from restaurants, grocery and department stores, to banks, healthcare and sports teams. So much of our economy, entertainment, etc. seem to be less than Christian. In our effort to take a stand for our Christian heritage sometimes the options are slim.
One place for sure where we can stand against the anti-Christian culture is on Liberty Avenue in Pittsburgh. There we are united in life, in Faith, in Christ, in all things. Undeniably the persecution is there, and we pay a price for standing at the foot of the cross for love of our Savior. The spirit of the world opposes us in our efforts to defend innocent life. If you are reproached for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. 1Peter4:14 But almost every time the screaming, foul language, obscene gesture attacks come, someone will offer, “Let’s pray for that person.” And we always do with all sincerity and hope for their conversion. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:44 But what is the reason for our hope even though we appear to be standing at the very pit of hopelessness? More than that we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. Romans 5:3-5
-Ken
Stories from the Sidewalk
Faithful Anthony was there to pray this morning. Summer, currently in RCIA and coming into the Church at Easter, came to spend MOST of her DAY there! I’d say she’s off to a good start in her faith journey! Bill dropped by on his way to his Bible study.
Tracy
The morning was cold and off and on drizzly. We remarked how it’s always colder here in front of PP.
The first couple went in at 8:15. During our shift a few more went in. But nobody was especially belligerent today, thank goodness. Some did take our literature.
A lady dropped by and looked over at our fetal models. She said people were praying here 16 years ago when she was headed to PP for an abortion. She saw them and decided not to even cross the street. She opted to give her daughter a better life and gave her up to adoption when she was born. I thanked her for telling us. It keeps you going!
It’s Tuesday morning and besides being cold weather-wise, the sight of the biomedical waste truck makes it seem even colder. But praying friends warm the heart. Newbie Summer joined Claudia and Tracy in offering lots of information as well as greetings for a nice day. Remember, when at PP, the temperature is 20 degrees colder in the winter and 20 degrees hotter in the summer. Good news, the security guard is feeling better and thanks everyone for the prayers.
Beth
The sidewalk was really bustling with convention center visitors, but it was good to see that there was very minimal traffic into the clinic.
Sheila
A father and daughter, Matt and Mayim, showed up from Roundhill Presbyterian to help stand for life. It was chilly with sprinkles of rain, but not too bad. Sandy was there the whole time handing out brochures. Praising God that his angels protected us and the vigil was peaceful. I know He always hears our prayers and our prayers are effective.
Kim & Mike
The 3-5 shift included Bill, myself, and a father/daughter duo. The security guard was always visible and appeared to be friendly. There was the usual school foot traffic, groups of young kids hurrying toward the bus stop, a few pausing to look at the figures showing the stages of development. One young man commented as he strolled through, ”I thought Catholics were against abortion, but Joe Biden forgot he was Catholic,” and he kept walking.
Around 3:30 PM, two policeman (who rode bicycles) entered PP. From what we could see they stood and talked to someone at the second set of doors inside the facility but were actually never out of sight. The officers stayed about 10 minutes, came out, mounted the bikes and just sat in front of the building for a few minutes and seemed to be observing traffic. The security guard watched, as we did, but didn’t have any opinion as to why they were there.
Approximately at 3:45 PM two gentleman appeared asking where was the scheduled speaker and talk. After some clarification, we were not able to offer any information, so they started the rosary. About 15 minutes later, Beth appeared with a young gal and introduced her as the speaker for the evening get together. Nikki also came on the scene at that time. The session ended with a rosary, and we put away everything (with lots of help). Thank you. God Bless.
Virginia
HAPPY NOTE FROM BETH:
Thanks to everyone for your prayers for my sister, Bernice.
The oncologist reports that the lesion on her brain is stable.
Bernice credits your prayers for getting her through this.
There is no place God’s grace cannot go.
Barbara wants all to know that K-LOVE is available in Pittsburgh at 98.3 FM. They have excellent Christian music from groups like MercyMe, Casting Crowns, Matthew West, etc. She listens to it all the time and just wanted to pass that on!