Does the world seem like a scary place to you these days? I believe that God has given special vision to His beloved children…in particular to those who are on the front lines of the battle against abortion. We seem to see the reality of what is happening all around us…both in the culture and in the Church. We see the demons that are all dressed in light; evil masquerading as good; darkness pretending to be light. While the rest of the world seems to be blinded and in some sort of trance…we sense that something really terrible is on the horizon. But we are not afraid because we know the One who is allowing this all to happen, and we trust that He is using all of this for His good purpose. In the end, evil will be defeated and His Kingdom will reign!
But in the meantime, right now the thing that scares me the most is seeing the faces of people who do have faith, but still seem bewildered and immobilized. The enthusiasm for fighting the good fight seems to be fading, and there seems to be some succumbing to the temptation to hide indoors from the approaching storm. It is true that there may be a time coming when we will have to hide…but it is not yet. Jesus said that we are to work while it is still light, because a time will come when it will be dark, and then we will not be able to work. (John 9:4).
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. This is when we remember how Mary suffered while watching her Son die on the cross for our sins. As she suffered, Jesus looked down at her and John. He gave Mary to John to be his mother, and gave John to Mary to be her son. In that moment, Mary gave birth to all of us. We are all her children now, and she is given to us as a mother…to comfort us during these frightening times. I believe that she has a very special role right now in God’s plan of salvation. Now, when evil seems to have free reign and good seems to be on the retreat. Now, as 2,000 years ago…when 11 of the 12 apostles had abandoned Christ and only his Mother, Mary Magdalen and John remained…we must remain faithful and courageous. The way we do that is to stay close to Christ…to literally CLING to Him! We do that by gathering with our Christian brothers and sisters around the sacraments and at spiritually inspiring events. Thanks be to God, there are quite a few of them coming up! Jesus and our dear mother Mary are so careful to protect and guard us that they make sure we have all that we need to stay connected to the Divine Life of the Holy Spirit, in the Church and in Christian fellowship. Please check out the following links and join us to be encouraged and emboldened to keep fighting the good fight for LIFE and for SOULS:
Tuesday, September 27th at 6:30 pm – 40 Days for Life kick-off Mass & Candle-lit Eucharistic Procession to Planned Parenthood! CLICK FOR DETAILS!
Wednesday, September 28th through Sunday, November 6th: 40 Days for Life prayer vigil in front of Planned Parenthood! CLICK TO SIGN UP! We especially need someone for Tuesday, Oct. 4 from 11am-1pm and from 3-5pm! If you can help with that time slot, please email me at nbruni@40daysforlifepgh.com!
Sunday, October 22nd from 11am – 7 pm: Eucharistic Congress at North Catholic High School, including many inspiring speakers, lunch and dinner, Mass & Candle-lit Eucharistic Procession. CLICK FOR DETAILS
And finally…an event that I just found out about today…and that I am VERY excited to attend…
November 4th & 5th: Retreat with Imaculee Ilibagiza at St. Alexis in Wexford!!! CLICK FOR DETAILS AND TO REGISTER! I have to say that seeing Imaculee tell the story of her survival of the Rwandan Genocide while hiding in the bathroom of a pastor for 90 days with 5 other women was a life-changing event for me. That was back in 2014 when she came to St. Vincent College to share her story. It was a real privilege to hear her story then, and I cannot wait to see her again at this event! Immediately after hearing her story I ordered and read her books, “Left to Tell” and “Our Lady of Kibeho”. I believe they are very important books to read for our times. I highly recommend reading both, and I hope you will register to attend this wonderful event!
Thank you for not losing your courage. Thank you for clinging to Christ and staying connected to our Christian community in and around Pittsburgh. Thanks for being part of 40 Days for Life and for helping us to provide a constant stream of prayer with the Body of Christ on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood from Sept. 28th – Nov. 6th! I cannot wait to see how God is going to us this fall!
May God bless and protect you and yours,
With love in Jesus and Mary,
Nikki
Thank you Nikki. Your words always inspire me. You hit the nail on the head when you said it seems like the people are in a trance. They have been blinded by Satan from seeing the Truth. We will persevere and we know God is already victorious.