DAY 30 INTENTION
That those tempted to abort may understand that their child is already present, and already a real person.
SCRIPTURE
And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said,"Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.--
Luke 1:41-44
REFLECTION by Fr. Frank Pavone
Jesus not only loves unborn children -- He was onehimself! Think about this for a moment. We often hear people speak of a pregnant mother by saying, "She's expecting a child." Now if one is expecting a package, the package is not yet there. As reflected in our verse for today, however, this is not the case with the mother.Her gift is already there. The pregnant woman, a mother already, does not have a child "on the way,"but has a child, already present and in full possession of his or her human rights, starting withthe right to life.
It's true, you know. The person is present from the moment of conception. The gender of the child, every inherited trait from eye color to athletic proclivity is present from the moment the sperm nuzzles into the egg and their DNAs merge.
I remembering lifting Niki one day and realizing how much bigger she is now than she was then. As I reflected on the fact that she would always be moving forward in her development, I got a brief glimpse of how far back her development went, and I saw that it had always been her in my womb. 
"There was never a point when she went from being "baby" to being Niki.
She was always my Niki, slowly adding piece by piece in the same gradual ascendance that I now get to watch outside the womb. 
Her dimpled chin, her blue eyes, her happy nature were present even before the ultrasound could show me how long her legs were. 
"There was never a point when she went from being "baby" to being Niki. She was always my Niki, slowly adding piece by piece in the same gradual ascendance that I now get to watch outside the womb. Her dimpled chin, her blue eyes, her happy nature were present even before the ultrasound could show me how long her legs were. As I watch Niki develop new skills and understanding I marvel at how much development has already taken place.
PRAYER
Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb,and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Jesus, open my eyes to your presence in the life of every child. Open my heart to joy in the birth of every child, a birth that reflects the joy of your own birth in Bethlehem. As you shared life in the womb of Mary, so now send your protection upon every child still in the womb,and grant to their mothers the strength and joy that comes from welcoming the gift of life. We pray through Christ our Lord, Amen.
Amen.
Now, as it's day 30 of 40 Days for Life, it's also ten days from the election, and I also got this little bit of unfirmation in my email this morning. Now I know that abortion is not the only poignant issue in this election, but it is an issue, and at this website below is a video detailing ecah candidate's stance on abortion in his own words.
1 comment:
that is brilliant insight. I see people all the time...whether it is before 7am or 10pm praying in the sidewalk of our abortion clinic. Thankfully ours is only open performing abortions Wed-Fri but people are there everyday. I drive by it frequently enough and every time, I pray...whether it is the 40 days or not.
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