*****************************************************PLEASE NOTE -- Right below today's message there is abig announcement of a worldwide television specialevent about 40 Days for Life that will be airing inmillions of homes -- TONIGHT!*****************************************************
Dear Mike,
I received a report from Houston that was botheye-opening and heartbreaking.
People participating in the 40 Days for Life vigilwatched as a young man who appeared to be in tearswalked into Planned Parenthood with his girlfriendand her mother.
When they left some time later, he was most certainlycrying -- and obviously quite upset.
I'll let one of the prayer vigil participants pick upthe story...
I watched him head down the street, alternating between wiping the tears from his face and punching the buildings in anger and frustration as he passed them. Eventually he headed back toward the parking lot. As he approached, I went to him first. All I could think to say was that I was so very sorry for his loss. He began to cry again.
Then a truck pulled up leaving the parking lot with his girlfriend and her mother inside. The girl's mother yelled at him to get in and cursed him as he opened the door. He had one foot inside, then stepped back out and closed the door. As she drove away he promptly sat down on the curb and cried like a baby. Three of us sat down beside him -- all men -- and cried with him.
Eventually, he began to talk. He was probably in his very early twenties. He told us that his girlfriend did not want to keep the child because she feared they would not be able to provide for him. He asked her how she could destroy a life based on a hunch. He told her this child had a heartbeat and a soul and deserved to live. He even tried to convince her to, at the very least, put the child up for adoption.
I was struck by the fact that this young man knew all this simply because his heart told him it was true. He was wise well beyond his years and he was hurting terribly.
I was struck by the clear reality that fathers have so little to do with whether their own children live or die. I also couldn't help but notice that despite the high volume of Planned Parenthood volunteers around, none of them approached him.
Before I left him, he stood up to hug me. All I could tell him was what I truly believed -- that today, his child knows that his/her father fought for it. That to his child, he is a hero and that someday he would know that also.
Please pray for this young man and others like him.The tragedy of abortion is real and happening everyday. No one knows that better than he.
I sincerely hope this young man comes to embrace theexceptional advice he was given; but that will mostcertainly take time. I cannot even begin to imaginethe anguish.
This is a first-person account of what abortion doesto fathers. Who knows how many others have walked inhis shoes, as there are more than a million abortionsevery year -- and more than 50 million since the 1973Roe v. Wade decision that opened the floodgates toabortion on demand.
Let's pray even harder!
*****************************************************EWTN NETWORK TO AIR 40 DAYS FOR LIFE SPECIAL TONIGHT!*****************************************************
The second installment of the Being Human televisionseries, hosted by 40 Days for Life campaign directorShawn Carney, airs on the EWTN network at 6:30 PMEastern TODAY!
EWTN is on many cable and satellite systems, soplease look for this outstanding account of 40 Daysfor Life, filmed by an Emmy-award-winning director.
* WHAT: "Being Human: 40 Days for Life"
* DATE: TONIGHT! Tuesday, September 29
* TIME: 6:30 PM Eastern (3:30 PM Pacific)
* WHERE: Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN) -- available in most markets
Watch a short preview online at:
http://www.beinghumanshow.com
Don't have cable or don't get EWTN?
You can watch the 30-minute documentary online at thestart time by visiting http://www.ewtn.com and thenselecting "Television" > "Live TV - English" from thenavigation menu at the top of the page.
Spread the word to all your friends, co-workers,family members, and fellow believers about thisexciting show!
And now here's today's devotional from Fr. TerryGensemer, the National Director of the CharismaticEpiscopal Church for Life...
-----------------------------------------------------DAY 7 INTENTION-----------------------------------------------------
May we have a heart and a zeal to save the poor andrelease the oppressed.
-----------------------------------------------------SCRIPTURE-----------------------------------------------------
The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hasanointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He hassent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaimliberty to the captives and recovery of sight to theblind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed.
-- Luke 4:18-19
-----------------------------------------------------REFLECTION by Fr. Terry Gensemer-----------------------------------------------------
This passage is a very familiar one. It has beenpreached on many occasions, even made popular inbooks and songs. Though the quote is about Jesus, allChristians take this commission seriously as adirective on how to reach the world with the gospel.
We, like our Savior, are to bring the good news tothe poor, the broken hearted, those in captivity,those who cannot see, and the oppressed.
The commission given to us in this passage is clearlya charge to care for those for whom God cares themost. I wonder though, whom do we look for to betouched by the Holy Spirit as we go out into theworld?
Who are the poor, if not those unborn children whohave been abandoned by their parents before they everleave the womb?
Who are the broken hearted, if not those unbornchildren whose only example of love is having theirmother take them to an abortion clinic to bedestroyed, or the mother of a child who has beendeceived by everyone around her into believing thatwhat she is doing is best for her and her child?
Who are the captives, if not those unborn childrenwho are bound over to death by the "choice" ofabortion?
Who is more blind than an unborn child in thedarkness of a womb that has become a waiting room fortheir death?
And who is more oppressed than those unborn childrenwhose oppression has been legitimized by theirgovernment, their church and even their family andloved ones?
-----------------------------------------------------PRAYER-----------------------------------------------------
Lord, You empower us with Your Spirit to do your willin the earth. Send us to the poorest, the mostbroken, the most captive, the most blind and the mostoppressed in the world, the innocent pre-bornchildren in their mother's wombs that are scheduledfor destruction. Help us to bring them healing,liberty, sight and justice through Jesus Christ ourLord, Amen.
-----------------------------------------------------PRINTABLE DEVOTIONAL-----------------------------------------------------
To download today's devotional as a formatted,printable PDF to share with friends:
http://40daysforlife.com/docs/fall2009day07print.pdf
-----------------------------------------------------
For Life,
David BereitNational Director40 Days for Life
No comments:
Post a Comment