Day 23…Thanks to our wonderful team members!

Mother and Son

            A prayer that has been in the Church for centuries and that has regained great popularity in our present time is the Chaplet (also called the Rosary) of the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It came onto the scene in the mid-thirteenth century with the founding of the Servite Order (Order of the Servants of the Blessed Virgin Mary) that promoted devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows. The Chaplet itself is made up of seven groups of seven Hail Marys. For each group of prayers, one of the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady is considered. In each of the Seven Sorrows, there is an emphasis on the relationship between Jesus and His Mother. Where one is found, there is the other. We see that throughout Jesus’ life, Mary, His Mother, is always at His side.

            In the first sorrow, The Prophecy of Simeon, we hear Simeon say that the soul of Our lady will be pierced with a sword. This reminds us that just as Our Lord’s side (and heart) was pierced by the centurion’s spear as He was hanging on the Cross, so too, Our Lady’s soul (heart) was pierced in union with her Son.  Through her Heart pierced with sorrow we come to His Heart pierced with love.

            In the second sorrow, The Flight into Egypt, Our Lady with the Infant Jesus in her arms and St. Joseph escape from the clutches of Herod, who is seeking the Child’s life. Mother and Son are united in seeking to fulfill God’s plan amidst the dangers of the world.

            In the third sorrow, The Loss of the Child Jesus in the Temple, Our Lady mourns the separation she experiences when the Child Jesus is speaking with the scribes and doctors of the law in the Temple. She could not bear to be separated from Him.

            In the fourth sorrow, Our Lady Meets Jesus as He Carries His Cross to Calvary, the Mother extends her unconditional love to her Son as He walks the last agonizing part of His journey to the hill where He will extend His love to us by having His hands nailed to the Cross. She walks every step of the path of her Son’s Passion just as she walks with us in the sorrows and suffering of our own lives.

            In the fifth sorrow, Our Lady Stands at the Cross of Her Son, the Mother is united with Jesus in His pain as He suffers and dies for our salvation. She would give her life for His sake to alleviate His agony. To fulfill the Father’s Will, Our Lady supports Jesus by offering her love to Him and herself to the Father with Him. She teaches us how we, too, must enter the Mystery of Redemption by uniting ourselves with the Passi0n of her Son.

            In the sixth sorrow, Our Lady Takes Her Son’s Body into Her Arms as He is Lowered from the Cross, she cradles the broken Body of Jesus in her arms with a Mother’s love as she embraces her Son’s Body, the Church. In the most difficult times of her Son’s life, she was there to hold Him close; she does the same for the Church and for each member of the Church, that is, for us.

            In the seventh sorrow, Our Lady Sees Her Son Laid in the Tomb, even as she mourns profoundly over her Son’s death and burial, Our Lady’s heart is filled with the hope that Jesus will rise again as He foretold. She reminds us that no matter how dark the times may seem for the Church and for us, hope springs eternal.

            My dear friends, in our love for the unborn and our care for their mothers and families, we find great strength and consolation in the union of Mary, the Sorrowful Mother, and Jesus, the Son, who offers Himself for love of us all.  Let us look upon Our Lady and Our Lord and see the unbreakable bond that exists between them!  Even in our society where abortion seeks to destroy the bond of love between a mother and her child, we believe with all our heart that in our advocacy for unborn children and their agonizing mothers, the victory over abortion, the murder of children and destruction of their mothers, will be won through the unbreakable bond between Mother Mary and her beloved Son Jesus!

Most Reverend William J. Waltersheid

Auxiliary Bishop of Pittsburgh

Read on to find out what happened on the sidewalk today…

Larry & Randy

(From Larry) Arrived this morning at about 8:00 AM and retrieved the signs and other materials, along with the camera.  Thankfully, Sue showed up about 9:00 and spruced up the presentation.  There were two women in the PP lobby when I arrived and a few more went in over the rest of the shift.  Randy was there and attempted to dissuade the women entering, but none of them responded.  Randy and I were busy catching up.  The construction crew warned us that they would be working on the scaffolding next door and to avoid the area.  I passed the message to Sue and Randy.

Susan & Cheryl

(From Sue) – I started my shift with Larry and Randy, but then sweet Cheryl came to pray non stop! Not as many women went in today to the abortion biz as other days, but a couple with a baby did. And some workers around 10:30. It was one of the coldest days downtown with the wind. Construction everywhere too, all of town seems chaotic. The man who seems to be the foreman for the job next door told me “you people need to get a life” (an expletive thrown in too!). I was a little surprised since they have been around for the last couple weeks with no issue. I had a nice conversation with a man crossing the street who was shocked that over 3000 abortions are done there every year. He said he was pro-life (and very!) from a non-religious standpoint. I was holding the sign that reads “Science says abortion kills a human being”, so we talked about it. Ultimately it is a religious/moral issue because it is evil to kill the innocents and we agreed…the lovely ladies Maggie and Linda arrived to join Cheryl. It was a good offering of time and a of cold and cold comments.

Linda, Sam & Ed

(From Linda) – After the recent warm spring temperatures, winter returned to the sidewalk today! Business at Planned Parenthood seemed slower than usual, but it appeared that abortions were still being performed. No one was interested in learning about any alternatives.

The caution sign put up by the workers next door seemed to have another more profound meaning than just directing traffic around the scaffolding.

Thanks to Maggie and Dan for joining the year-round regulars Cheryl, Sam, Ed, and Bob. It was nice to have the bigger presence on the sidewalk today. 

Carolyn & Fr. Jim

It was very cold and windy on the sidewalk, which meant not too many people waking by today.
When we showed up, there was a woman waiting outside by her car. She said she was waiting for a friend who was inside. We tried to talk with her but she immediately went into her car and closed the door. About 20 minutes later, a young woman came out with, we are assuming, was her mother. They walked to the car and we asked the young woman if she was ok and if she would like any help. We tried to hand her some information but her mother said very loudly that they were fine. They closed the door and quickly drove away.
We prayed the rosary for her.
Another couple walked came by and walked in but Mary was able to hand them some information and they took it and smiled but continued to go in to the clinic. They came out about 1/2 hour later and again we tried to engage but they walked away quickly.
Mary and Carolyn handed out cards and pamphlets to some passerby’s and most were friendly. Of course, there’s always the ones who don’t even bother to look or smile, but each person that passes by gets a “God bless you” from Carolyn.
Just when we thought we couldn’t take the cold anymore, the clouds parted and the sun shone directly on us for the last 1/2 hour of our shift. We decided to thank our Lord for that special gift by ending with the Divine Mercy Chaplet.

Carolyn, Karen, Mary, Dave, and Gerry were there from Resurrection Parish.

Pete & Bill

(from Pete) Not much to report from Bill and I except there was one young woman who walked past me then turned around and joyfully exclaimed, ‘I’m glad I had my abortion.’ I wanted to say something ‘smart’ (probably would have turned out to be smart allecky instead) in return, but the Holy Spirit didn’t provide me with any words. I think though He restrained me from saying something that I’d regret.  Sometimes, the best response is no response.  Instead, she became an addition to my prayer list for the rest of my time down there and beyond. 

God Bless