Saint Francis Receives the Stigmata
Illumination from the Life of Saint Francis by Saint Bonaventure
before 1478, Add. 15710, f. 164v.
The British Library, London, England.
© British Library Board / Robanna / Leemage.
www.magnificat.com
The faces of all three figures here are beaming with beatitude, as if they have come down again from heaven to reenact the scene. Pierre-Marie Dumont. Magnificat October 2013
The faces of all three figures here are peaceful. How surprising. Are not the Crucifixion and Stigmata cause for alarm? There is so much blood. The wounds are painful. Nonetheless, when we trust in God’s providence, even when circumstances seem dire, our hearts can feel secure. Perhaps we can look at the baby scheduled for abortion in light of this beautiful MAGNIFICAT cover. You might think that this quote from Isaiah is an apt description of the plight of that little child. Initially it certainly looks that way.
Seized and condemned, he was taken away.
Who would have thought any more of his destiny?
For he was cut off from the land of the living,
struck for the sins of his people.
He was given a grave among the wicked,
a burial place with evildoers,
though he had done no wrong.
Isaiah 53:8-9
___________________________________
Feet of an aborted 10 week unborn child photograph taken by Russell Sacco, MD.
One afternoon in 1970, he (Dr. Sacco) was visiting with a friend, a pathologist. The pathologist was responsible for destroying the bodies of babies following abortions. He didn’t feel able to do this and had placed some of the bodies into formaldehyde. That day, he showed the remains to Dr. Sacco. Dr. Sacco was shocked at first but realized this was an opportunity to redeem the short lives of those little humans. He consulted textbooks, determining the age of the babies, then photographed them. Struggling to show the scale of the babies’ size in comparison to their development, he took one 10 week old baby in his hands, holding its feet between his forefinger and thumb.
“All of a sudden, I saw these tiny feet; these perfectly formed tiny feet,with little toes, little wrinkles and creases and I held them between my fingers and took the picture. I was crying because I felt so bad – it just really got to me,” he said. “I really didn’t think the photo would be anything, but God must have taken the picture because it was perfect, and I knew that this would be one powerful way to send a message to the world, as this unborn baby was only about 10 weeks along.”
Dr. Sacco always was convinced that if people knew what the unborn looked like, they would reconsider their position on abortion. He took those photos hoping to counterbalance the narrative that they were nothing more than “blobs of protoplasm.” https://www.ortl.org/2019/06/dr-russell-sacco/
We are sad about it, but are not surprised that 50 years later, in the year that Dr. Leana Wen was in charge, Planned Parenthood reported $616.8 million in taxpayer funding. We know about the tactics of the devil … and so we faithfully pray and fast and witness. Ephesians 6:11-12
___________________________________
Anthony Levatino, MD is a former abortionist who shares his testimony. WARNING: ABORTION is grisly. Aborted babies suffer terribly.
Imagine that you are a pro-choice obstetrician/gynecologist like I once was. Your patient today is 24 weeks pregnant.
Introduce this catheter. Turn on the suction machine. A pale yellow fluid comes through the catheter. This is the amniotic fluid that surrounded the baby to protect her.
A Sopher clamp is an instrument for grasping and crushing tissue. Reach in with the Sopher clamp and grasp anything you can. Once you have grasped something inside, squeeze on the clamp to set the jaws and pull hard –really hard. You feel something let go and out pops a fully formed leg about six inches long. Reach in again and grasp whatever you can. Set the jaw and pull really hard once again and out pops an arm about the same length. Reach in again and again with that clamp and tear out the spine, intestines, heart and lungs. The head of a baby that age is about the size of a large plum and is now free floating inside the uterine cavity.
Congratulations! You have almost completed a successfully performed second trimester suction D&E abortion. You just affirmed her right to choose.
Quoted Excerpts, Testimony of Anthony Levatino, MD, JD before the Committee on the Judiciary, U.S. House of Representatives
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU00/20151008/104048/HHRG-114-JU00-Wstate-LevatinoA-20151008.pdf
___________________________________
This is Pittsburgh’s downtown abortion site. We scatter red roses and rose petals, the same color as the aborted child’s blood in memory of the children killed there that day.
___________________________________
We know why the faces on the Magnificat cover are beaming with beatitude, even though they have such terrible wounds. God offers beatitude to all of his children. Jesus focuses special attention on sinners. Jesus greeted Mary Magdalene very early on the day He rose from the dead. Jesus greeted Peter in love after His Resurrection. Pro-life stories are filled to the brim with God’s love for sinners. Alleluia! All things work to the good for those who love God.
The faces of all three figures here are beaming with beatitude, as if they have come down again from heaven to reenact the scene. Pierre-Marie Dumont. Magnificat October 2013
___________________________________
“In Christ Alone,” Steph Macleod
___________________________________
DEE GATHERS OUR FUEL
THE PASSIONIST NUNS OF PITTSBURGH
Please be assured of our prayerful support for the Spring Campaign for the 40 Days for Life. It seems this campaign is needed more than ever. We pray and fast throughout Lent and will be especially united with you during Holy Mass and our Vespers and Adoration at 5:00to 6: 30 PM daily. We ask Our Lord to keep everyone safe and to give the needed strength to stand and pray and that through the power of the Holy Spirit this campaign will be more fruitful than ever.
With love and prayers,
Sister Mary Ann, CP
NOTES FROM THE SIDEWALK
JEN McD. SHIFT MANAGER 7-9
Losing an hour of sleep to daylight savings time didn’t stop a great group of prayer warriors from coming together on the sidewalk early this morning. Chilly weather and the pandemic combined to keep the city very quiet while we offered the Scriptural Rosary and Chaplet of Divine Mercy for the cause of LIFE! Thanks to everyone who came to pray with us and to everyone who is joining us spiritually from afar.
Bill, Suki from Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish, Tom, Shift Buddy Vince, Knights of Columbus George, Rich and Steve, our Beloved Nikki
KEN B. SHIFT MANAGER 9-11
Sundays are generally quiet and peaceful days on Liberty Avenue. Most of the foot traffic today belonged to the army of faithful witnesses in prayer. We were joined today by many members of Most Precious Blood of Jesus parish and the Saint Sebastian Council of the Knights of Columbus.
We prayed together the Grace Force forty day novena for freedom from the devil, the Sorrowful mysteries of the Rosary, the Chaplet of Divine Mercy, and the Joyful mysteries of the pro-life scriptural Rosary. Our intention was for those with scheduled appointments for an abortion at Planned Parenthood this week that they will decide today to cancel and choose life.
We also prayed with the members of the Rosary Walk who stop at 933 Liberty Avenue on their weekly pilgrimage through the streets calling down God’s Mercy for our church and our nation.
Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parishioners
Rosary Walk meets Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parishioners bringing LOVE to the downtown sidewalk.
Ken, Shift Manager and Nikki surrounded by Sunday morning radiant witnesses for LIFE!
RICH AND ROSEANN K. SHIFT MANAGERS 11-1
I am grateful for all of those who came to stand for life today. The weather was deceiving today because of the wind. I think some of our volunteers wished they would have dressed warmer. We did our usual Rosaries and Divine Mercy Chaplet. Mimi led us in the Litany to St. Joseph and the Seven Sorrows of Mary. We only had one passerby with a negative remark today. May God have mercy on him and all those who know not what they do.
Most Precious Blood of Jesus Parish joins Triumph of the Holy Cross Parish and Shift Manager Rich
Witnessing for Life on a chilly Sunday
Jim, Mary and Mimi from Triumph of the Cross Parish
JOE W. SHIFT MANAGER 3-5
A blessed sunny afternoon with the Most Precious Blood of Jesus Christ parishioners … a committed community of believers, living the faith on the road to Christ. Very refreshing and rejuvenating to serve with them.
All glory and praise be to Jesus Christ
Sunday evening sidewalk alive with witnesses for Life.
Most Precious Blood of Christ parishioners flooded the Sunday sidewalk with the love of God for LIFE.
ANDY L. SHIFT MANAGER 5-7
It was a sunny day and a beautiful showing from the Latin Mass community at Precious Blood of Jesus parish on the north side. Many prayers were done, Rosaries, Liturgy of the Hours, and beggings to shut the abortion mill down!
Parishioners from Most Precious Blood of Jesus shared their love and completed Day 25 as WITNESSES FOR LIFE!
___________________________________
And God saw that it was good.
_______________________________