Today, March 25, many of our participants are celebrating the Feast of the Annunciation. It marks the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Mother of the conception of the Christ Child in her womb. Nine months from today, of course, we will celebrate His birth, at Christmas. The passage below is the telling of the Annunciation encounter:
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Luke 1: 26-38
And now, let us consider a 2021 version. The woman in this scenario is also addressed by an angel– her guardian angel. Like Mary, this 2021 woman has also experienced an unexpected pregnancy. And although she initially thought her only “solution” was abortion, she comes to realize that she can actually say yes as Mother Mary did.
A guardian angel was sent from God
to a town of Pennsylvania called Pittsburgh,
to a young woman in a relationship with a man,
and the woman’s name was unknown.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid.
Behold, you have already conceived in your womb and will bear a child,
and you shall name him or her a beautiful name of your choosing.
The child will be great and will be called your own child,
and the Lord God will give him or her the gift of a family, if you allow it to be so.
But the young woman said to the angel,
“How can this be? We used contraception.”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The blessed child is already within you.
The child to be born
will be called good and blessed.
And behold, many other women like you
have also conceived children unexpectedly, including many who were using contraception,
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
The young woman said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord.
May I accept this child with love, and allow my little one to be born and have a life and a family.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Sometimes – or maybe many times?- we don’t know what the Lord has planned for us. But we can completely trust Him with our lives. Even when an unexpected pregnancy occurs.
-Lisa
Reports from the Sidewalk:
Nikki:
My final Thursday morning shift was a joyful and prayerful time spent with beautiful sisters in the Lord, Peggy and Cathy. It was a quiet and peaceful time. Only one woman entered the clinic for a medical procedure, she informed us. That surprised me, I did not think they were open to see patients on Thursdays. It was not for an abortion, though. The two hours flew by and before we knew it, the 9 to 11 crew arrived. We continue to pray for those women who are being pressured to abort their children, and pray that on this special day of the Annunciation of the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Mother, Mary, that the lives of these little ones will be saved.
Meredith:
Mary, Patty and Beverly joined my prayer partner Karen and I on the sidewalk this glorious morning. Mostly employees entered PP while we prayed and shared.
A young woman exited PP and stopped to share her thoughts about our presence on the sidewalk. Karen, Mary and Beverly loved on her for 15-20 minutes, listening to her and encouraging her about the great things she’s doing, and thanking her for being willing to stop and share her thoughts. (She was there for a gynecological appointment having lost her insurance with covid.) Patty and I spent most of the time praying for their conversation. “K” had a rough upbringing and cares for her relative “C”, a little girl living with addicted parents and grandmother, homeless much of the time. She felt that abortion was a necessity for women who wouldn’t make good parents. The ladies’ gentleness didn’t change her mind instantly, but she was pleasantly surprised by our kindness and hopefully went home with a different perspective to consider.
Birthday boy Bill stopped by. Be sure to wish him a happy birthday if you see him. His birthday is Monday. I hope you’ll sign up to continue going and praying with 40 Days for Life 365, and join us in praying for Magee-Womens Hospital. You can sign up for our emails with a link to our signup at TheMageeProject@gmail.com.
God bless you!
Meredith
Beth Ann:
“Today is the Feast of the Annunciation to Mary and nine months from Christmas!” That is what Father said at Mass this morning. I was glad to go to Mass before my shift, as I feel it always gives greater grace when confrontation happens at the abortion clinic. It has always seemed to me that on Feast Days there is greater potential for confrontations too! Always faithful Tony manned the station with me today on this beautiful warm March day!
Today we had a great shift…until the very last minutes! Let’s start with the good. Bob came to pray as he always does. He is such a faithful warrior for the cause. The security guard had some negative words for him last week, so I silently prayed that no conflict would occur. The guard was coming back to enter the clinic when Bob was praying, and said a few softly spoken words to Bob before re-entering! Whew! That bullet was dodged.
Three women entered while we had our shift today. One stopped at the door as I offered help and said that she already received information last week and did not think that she needed more yet. It makes you wonder how people can know that there are alternatives and yet not use them. We saw her come out of the clinic much later, but missed speaking with her again.
Many passersby were friendly today, including a very cheerful mother with her new baby. They passed twice and the baby was smiling and laughing the second time. What a great witness to God’s gift of life!
Later in the shift the clinic guard came outside again. He lingered as though he was waiting for something. When he stopped near me we exchanged conversation about the weather. He told me that he gets his weather information from Siri on his computer each day. I commented that my kids like to ask Siri if she loves them. We both chuckled. It was nice to see a more cheerful side to him. I pray that someday he sees us as champions for life instead of obstacles to women.
At the end of the shift is when trouble began and that is where I will end.
NOTE FROM NIKKI:
Today, a man stopped by to talk with those at the vigil, who was NOT an official participant of 40 Days for Life, but considers himself pro-life and was there to support life. Unfortunately, he had an altercation with the PP security guard. The guard called the police, but by the time they arrived, the man had left. We need to disassociate ourselves (as 40 Days for Life) from people such as this man. 40 Days for Life does NOT condone this sort of behavior. Our participants promise to abide by the Statement of Peace, and to remain peaceful and non-confrontational. Therefore, those who do something like this automatically disassociate themselves from 40 Days For Life.
Cecilia:
Many prayers were offered up. Much more peaceful after the above situation. Three college students went into PP. One actually came right back out to talk with me. She was a bit harsh at first but then calmed and apologized. We talked and I gave her info about birth control, chastity, abortion… The one stayed inside supposedly for birth control, but the other two left. Many on the streets today. Handed out material. Some who supported us took a flyer about what they can do to stop abortion. It was a warm, dry and comfortable day for our last of the campaign. Thanks to Divine Mercy Parish for covering EVERY week of the campaign! It was great to be with those dear souls!
HOUR OF MERCY
Thank you to Fr. Jack Brennan for praying at the hour of mercy today, and to Fr. Jim and the other dear members of the clergy who keep vigil with us!
Pete:
Today, Shift Buddy Christine and I were blessed to have Father Jack lead us at the 3 o'clock hour with the Divine Mercy Chaplet. We were joined by Connie from Guardian Angels Parish, and Helen. We prayed a Rosary, then the afternoon turned very interesting with the paramedics pulling up right in front of us. They were there to help a man named Luis, who was in a wheelchair with his foot bleeding (his shoes were too small and his feet were dragging). He refused to go with them, but after they left we saw he was still in need of assistance. That's when Connie went into action buying him new shoes, socks, and a bag for his belongings. I pulled him in his wheelchair up to Catholic Charities as he requested. When Connie got back we changed his socks and shoes and convinced him that he needed medical treatment. After the paramedics took Luis, we went back to PP and found Christine immersed in prayer and holding down the fort with Helen and Father Jack. As I'm writing this I'm reminded of the story of Mary and Martha; sometimes we are called to be the hands and feet of Christ, and other times we are called to rest at His feet in prayer. Praise God that we can do both. And please pray for Luis.
Charlie:
Finally a beautiful day with just a touch of rain for us, but it reminded us of GOD’s promise not to destroy us by a flood. HIS love kept us warm, even with the cold presence of evil that exists at Planned Parenthood. So sad that it was Amy’s and my last shift there, but looking forward to seeing everyone at the closing. GOD bless you all.
