The LORD said to Moses,
“Go down at once to your people
whom you brought out of the land of Egypt,
for they have become depraved.
They have soon turned aside from the way I pointed out to them,
making for themselves a molten calf and worshiping it,
sacrificing to it and crying out,
‘This is your God, O Israel,
who brought you out of the land of Egypt!’
Exodus 32:7-8
“They have become depraved.” That’s what God said about His own people.
He said that they have turned aside from the way [He] pointed out to them.
Instead of ancient child sacrifice, we now have abortion… the “sacrament” of the culture of death.
And we now have Benjamins to worship instead of golden calves.
So, what should we do as Christians? Should we just assume that all is lost anyway, and we might as well not even try to help the depraved people of the world anymore? Of course, the answer is no. But we DO have to do that with great charity. Otherwise, our witness (on the sidewalk or otherwise) means nothing.
Let us strive to help those who are clients of Planned Parenthood, or employees there, or even those just passing by who may not know the place of death it is. May we share in truth and in charity, so that we may share with them the true God who loves them and has an infinitely better plan for them.
Reports from the Sidewalk
Nikki:
It was very dark and rainy when we started our shift at 7 AM, but it always feels like sunshine with smiles from Tom and Diane as they set up the materials, and from my faithful sidewalk partner Peggy! We were blessed to spend our two hour shift with three faithful men from the Manordale Knights of Columbus. It rained relentlessly for the entire two hours, but we prayed earnestly and fervently for the first hour, and then encouraged each other with holy conversation for the second. Surprisingly there was one young woman who went in during our shift, apparently for some sort of abortion services. She was hostile and not open to allowing us to offer help, as she gave me the one finger salute as she entered those doors. We prayed for her. Thank you to Meredith and Dan from Our Lady of the Angels Parish for relieving us as we were soggy and ready to leave at nine. Thanks to everybody who came out today in the rain!
Meredith:
Please continue to pray for Shift Manager Judy’s mother-in-law, who is very ill. Meredith lovingly and capably filled in for her this morning! Thank you, Meredith!
Meredith reports:
Beautiful spring day…from a perfectly practical perspective! We needed the rain!
It awes me that by the time I stop on the way home for some groceries, get them unpacked and get settled in, Lisa, who starts her shift when I leave, is finishing her shift! It’s such a simple commitment. A couple of hours that could make a difference in someone’s life or death decision. Can you believe we’re down to just 10 more days in this campaign? Won’t you join us for an hour or two?
Dan from St. Maria Goretti/Our Lady of the Angels Parish, and then Mary from Christ Our Savior Parish, Brighton Heights joined me, encouraging one another in prayer and sharing stories of God’s faithfulness.
While Thursday isn’t known as a surgical abortion day, I suspect we see an occasional chemical abortion client. Today my heart broke as a brash young woman carrying a brown paper bag that might contain an abortion pill for day two of a chemical abortion boldly rejected our help. She berated me for not wearing a mask while socially distanced outdoors when in hours she could be in the throes of anguish and uncontrollable pain leaving permanent damage to her psyche and spirit if not her body. Follow the science.
April 11 we’ll start praying again for Magee-Womens Hospital. You can sign up for our emails with a link to our signup at TheMageeProject@gmail.com.
Lisa K.:
Meredith had warned me that it was cold and wet down at the vigil today, and she wasn’t kidding. So thankful for my battery-powered socks and gloves that kept me warm and dry! (I highly recommend these, folks!)
The Lord works in beautiful ways. We had one experience of that this morning, as Therese was inspired by the Holy Spirit to approach a young couple. She had never done that before, but I provided a resource card for her to offer them. They politely refused, and continued walking to the other side of the circle, where they looked at the baby models. They spoke to Beth Ann. Afterwards, Beth Ann told me that this woman shared with her that she actually used to work as a security guard at this very Planned Parenthood, and asked to be switched to another location because she could not bear working in that place anymore. She even used to pray for the PP clients as they would enter and exit the building. So powerful to hear that from her, long after she has stopped working there!
Thanks also to Therese and Bob, who are each heroes in their own right. They are humble souls with beautiful hearts. Thank you so much for your trust and faithfulness.
Christine:
We had a mostly solemn and gloomy shift, but it seemed fitting. Very little foot traffic as we said our prayers. We made a powerful Way of the Cross (from the Divine Mercy devotion) and felt Jesus speaking directly to us, in the pouring rain, to trust in Him:
(Jesus) Do not be surprised that you are sometimes unjustly accused. I myself first drank this cup of undeserved suffering for love of you. (289) When I was before Herod, I obtained a grace for you; namely, that you would be able to rise above human scorn and follow faithfully in My footsteps. (1164)
We are thankful to be witnesses of God’s Love and Mercy and pray that we can share these gifts with everyone placed on our path.
Charlie:
Cold and wet but always a warm feeling when praying with Larry and Amy. It was a quiet night and towards the end of of shift the rain slowed down. Hopefully we were the start of a good day tomorrow.
GOD Bless you all.
May God help us all to know what is truly important. May our hearts continue to turn back to Him this Lent and always.
