One. Less. Thorn.
A Lenten craft my children were introduced to was the “Sacrifice Crown of Thorns”. They were encouraged to put one together for the holy season. Each time they made a sacrifice or did a good deed, they’d extract one thorn from the crown. By Easter Sunday, the crown, emptied of its thorns, became a nest for their celebratory Easter eggs. This craft always reminded me of St. Paul’s letter to the Colossians:
“…In my own flesh I fill up what is lacking in the suffering of Christ for the sake of His Body, the church…” Col. 1:24-25
(In this reflection, I address a specific group, but never to the total exclusion of ALL since Christ died for ALL.)
On the sidewalk, I constantly need to remind myself of my special connection with others. In desperation, members of His Body often walk through the doors of PP. We see them wearing crucifixes around their necks or notice them sporting a religious tattoo. Sometimes their tee shirts suggest their belonging.
As members of Christ’s body, I realize we will suffer, but those choosing abortion will suffer GREATLY for their fatal decisions. Jesus knew this. Our Savior suffered immensely because of this. What can I do about it?
Pull a thorn out of His Crown. Make a sacrifice to come to the sidewalk to, at least, be a prayerful presence. It’s not always convenient, simple, or easy. There are plenty of excuses not to come, for sure. But, swallow hard, make a commitment and show up.
ONE. LESS. THORN.
Now on to today’s shift reports…
Tim & David: 7:30-9:00
We were blessed as the darkness that surrounds pp was also inside today as they were closed. Praise and thank God.
We were able to pray and witness on the quiet street this morning. Judy joined David and me and then Randy too. Judy is an inspiration as she gets resource information into everyone’s hands including the bus drivers as the stop on the other side of the street. One young man thanked her and promised to post the card she had given him in a prominent place.
Our shift was turned over to Sue as a big group of prayer warriors arrived. GBY. Tim
Sue D & Judy V: 9:00 – 11:00
PP was not open today. We were joined on the sidewalk by a nice group from Jeanette Holy Name. They prayed non-stop for the entire shift. Judy was able to hand out a lot of cards and we were engaged by a lot of people passing by. The sign that gives the statistic that 58 babies/week are killed at pp is always noticed. Several people took pictures of it and others stopped to discuss abortion. We were able to give Rachels Vineyard info to a lady who has a friend that suffered abortion after being raped. She said she also supports abortion for ectopic pregnancy…so it was great to be able to explain that treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is not an abortion. We had positive and negative interactions, but got a lot of praying done.
Dean & Billy: 11:00 – 1:00
(From Billy), There was a woman who said she will be coming back to oppose us. She was annoying the shift before ours, and she started trying with me, but our guard, Hutch, came out and told her that Planned Parenthood was closed. She has a license plate that says, “Roe, Roe, Roe your vote”.
The rest of the shift was really calm. We also had Sharon & Steve with us as well, and we told some people who were trying to get into PP that they were closed.
Fran: 1:00 – 3:00
Since PP was closed today and because there was very little traffic in downtown, the gentle and joyful presence of Father Jacob and the faithful parishioners of Archangel Gabriel Parish were permitted to peacefully offer continuous prayer. Sharon and Steve came to pray with the 11-1 shift, Helen and Mary were with me from 1-3, and we were joined by Father Jacob. As we were praying, a woman stopped by and waited quietly. Her eyes were lowered slightly, but her gaze was directed toward Father Jacob. He soon approached her and asked if she needed to speak with him, and they moved slightly away from us. When they finished, she thanked him and went on her way. She was in a wheelchair and no one was helping her. I believe we were blessed to witness Divine Providence today.
Jeff: 3:00 – 5:00
Well…its the start of another vigil. Slow drizzle from 3 to 5 to start us off. PP closed. I am always encouraged to hear of the PP centers closing around the country as reported by the national 40 Days headquarters….https://40daysforlife.com/. In God’s time it will hold true for this Pittsburgh PP.
In the meantime our faith is witnessed here on the sidewalk ….remembering the babies who died here.
Just got a thumbs up from a rider on the open tour bus…a first for me.
Angelina was kind enough to join me on short notice.
Jeff