Again I say to you, that if two of you shall consent upon earth, concerning any thing whatsoever they shall ask, it shall be done to them by my Father who is in heaven.
Saint Matthew 18:19-20
For where there are two or three gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
So Joshua did as Moses told him: he engaged Amalek in battle after Moses had climbed to the top of the hill with Aaron and Hur.
Exodus 17:10
As long as Moses kept his hands raised up, Israel had the better of the fight…
The lesson of the battle of God’s people led by Joshua against the Amalekites is that prayer brings victory for the glory of God. As I read the blog every day it comes to mind that we have a most perfect, heavenly plan that gives all glory to Almighty God. The victories that we experience are an answer to prayer. What Jesus taught, what is implicit in Sacred Scripture about prayer is at the very core of the 40 Days for Life plan. Each shift, each day , each campaign is a constant stream of prayer, intercession, penance, fasting and crying out to God for Mercy on the unborn child and her mother. The fact that we have at least two praying at every shift is an imitation of Our Lord sending His disciples out in pairs. Mathew Kelly speaks and writes often about the genius of our Catholic faith and I would claim the same genius for the plan that unfolds for forty days on the sidewalk. The Masses and rosaries offered by the faithful, the hours of adoration, the homebound praying, as well as the good Sisters in their Convent, pleading with Our Lord For help, result in lives spared from the destruction of abortion.
Through our prayerful witness many have turned away. Because of our presence and the efforts of those who support us, with sacrifice and prayer, people who pass driving or on foot are changed. It is also worth considering that there may be a chorus of voices of the unborn who lost their lives through abortion praying with us in eternity with the Blessed Trinity. And a host of heavenly Angels and Saints are interceding with us before the Throne of God because of our sacrifice and intercession. We will perhaps only learn of the great mercy that Our Lord poured out on women and children because of our efforts when we pass from this life.
Now to God and our Father be glory world without end. Amen.
Philippians 4:20
7-9: Tracy
This morning, it was just “The Guys” and me. There weren’t a lot of people going in, maybe three couples and a young lady. More staff passes through those doors than anybody else. We got a few rosaries in.
9-11: Beth
Even though Bill and Anthony stopped by, for most of our shift, it was the Tuesday Trio of Linda, Claudia, and me praying. There were a few clients, but no one would take our literature as they hurried inside. One bit of sunshine, the ultrasound van from Choices gave us big “hello” as they drove past. Next time, we hope to have lots of clients for them. That’s why we keep coming and keep praying.
11-1: Rose
Report to follow.
1-3: Mike
The rain held off for most of our shift. Conrad, our Sidewalk Advocate, spoke with a number of people, one young man right at the door of PP. Noticed a new sign in the window of PP that stated, “The picketers can’t be stopped…” No truer words have been written!!! Kim and I with Delores and Mike prayed the rosary for all who we saw. Thanks for the opportunity to be here!!
3-5: John
A lot of activity with the kids getting out of school. We had a woman kick over one of the signs and yell at us. We had another man tell us we were going to hell because the babies were going to foster care. I said we would pray for him. We prayed the Rosary, Chaplet and Stations of the Cross. Sadly, a lot of women and girls were leaving the clinic today.
3-5: Virginia
The chilly weather with slight occasional (twice) rain seemed to lessen the number of people walking past PP. Two parishioners from St. Matthew’s, a father and son (Bob and Bob) team, were very prayerful during the shift. There even seemed to be fewer elementary students passing by today. About 3:45 a couple came walking toward us. As they approached the first sign, “Pray to End Abortion,” the woman kicked the sign and it “flew” onto the sidewalk. I commented to her, “Don’t kick the sign.” She brazenly reported, “I will do it,” and walked on her way. There was no other verbal contact.
Later on, a man parked in front of PP, walking toward the Gyros corner shop. He commented as he passed by, “You are going to hell for doing this.” Very soon after he came back to his car and I asked him what he meant by his comment. He stated “70,000 children are in foster care and their lives are a mess.” Other than yelling his comments, he was polite, apologized when he was back in his car, and there wasn’t any further conversation. The remaining time was uneventful. We handed out very few pamphlets, as most of the population at this hour are students.
5-7: Santos
Really nice reflection, Ken. And thank you for taking the time and effort to be a blog writer.