Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life has made the following appeal:
"The women and men of the Silent No More Awareness Campaign have created a three-minute video in which women who have had abortions speak about how it harmed them, and declare that an increase in abortion will mean an increase in health problems for women.
Let’s meet their courage with ours and use this video to bring their voices into the debate.
See and spread the video at www.SilentNoMoreAwareness.org/healthcare.
The time for action is now, and the action could not be more simple: pray!"
Prayer for our Nation’s Health Care Reform
Lord Jesus, you are the Divine Physician,
And the source of all life and health.
Guide our nation at this critical moment,
As our government seeks health care reforms.
Give our elected officials the humility to know
That they are servants, not masters.
Give them the wisdom to realize
That every life has equal value.
Give them the strength to resist the idea
That some lives can be sacrificed to save others
Or that killing the unborn is a part of health care.
Give your people the courage to speak up
And to hold public officials accountable for their actions.
Save us, Lord Jesus, from a culture of death,
And let every reform in our public policy
Be based on the reform of our hearts and minds
In the light of your Gospel,
For you are Lord forever and ever.
+Amen+
September 11, 2009
September 09, 2009
Who we serve
Many of us may find it difficult to see our ministry as an act of service, as a ministry.
When we volunteer at a soup kitchen, we can see the faces of the people as we serve them food.
In a prison ministry, we can pray with the incarcerated and hear their story.
As a blood donor, we can see the pouch filling up and know precisely how it will be used.
These are all quantifiable acts of service with an immediate reward.
Praying outside 320 E. Fulton?
We can't see the child we're serving. We're not with the mother entering the building. We don't know how our prayer will take effect.
All we know for certain is that good will come from our commitment to prayer & fasting on behalf of these nameless souls. We are asking for an end to abortion, but we're entrusting this to God. It seems so passive!
This action of silent prayer is perhaps the most powerful appeal we can make, because God is the focus and God is the recipient and God is the only one reading our hearts, and nobody is more powerful than God.
If outreach to the traffic was our goal, we would hold signs and get people to honk. If outreach to the staff was our goal, then we would only stand vigil at times when they were working. If outreach to the mothers was our goal, we would all become sidewalk counselors.
No-- we are there for the Lord, to be with the Lord, to ask the Lord to heal this place.
It really is that simple. If it pleases the Lord, what else matters?
When we volunteer at a soup kitchen, we can see the faces of the people as we serve them food.
In a prison ministry, we can pray with the incarcerated and hear their story.
As a blood donor, we can see the pouch filling up and know precisely how it will be used.
These are all quantifiable acts of service with an immediate reward.
Praying outside 320 E. Fulton?
We can't see the child we're serving. We're not with the mother entering the building. We don't know how our prayer will take effect.
All we know for certain is that good will come from our commitment to prayer & fasting on behalf of these nameless souls. We are asking for an end to abortion, but we're entrusting this to God. It seems so passive!
This action of silent prayer is perhaps the most powerful appeal we can make, because God is the focus and God is the recipient and God is the only one reading our hearts, and nobody is more powerful than God.
If outreach to the traffic was our goal, we would hold signs and get people to honk. If outreach to the staff was our goal, then we would only stand vigil at times when they were working. If outreach to the mothers was our goal, we would all become sidewalk counselors.
No-- we are there for the Lord, to be with the Lord, to ask the Lord to heal this place.
It really is that simple. If it pleases the Lord, what else matters?
Join us from home
Today the planning team will meet on a different day than we usually have. Since May, our meetings have taken place on Tuesdays. We've been fasting on Tuesdays in preparation for the campaign, which begins at our Kickoff Rally Sunday Sept.20 at 2pm in the Loosemore Auditorium.
Today is Wednesday, and most of us will probably forget to fast when we pour our orange juice this morning and start munching on a bagel. So you, dear reader, are more than welcome to join us in our fasting. It requires no travel, you don't have to sign up, and you can fast in whatever manner you feel the Lord indicates. Maybe you'll skip lunch. Maybe you won't watch TV tonight. Talk it over with God; you'll figure out what's best. The important thing is to pray while you do whatever it is you're (not) going to do.
Fasting without prayer is like...dancing without music. It's still dancing-- but it was meant to be accompanied.
We hope you will acompany us today with your prayer, your fasting, or both. We have much to accomplish in preparation for the KICKOFF RALLY Sunday Sept.20at 2pm.
Did I mention the Kickoff Rally takes place two Sundays from now? in the afternoon? GVSU's campus? No? Fliers will be posted soon in churches all across this grand city. You can visit our website, tweet us on Twitter, or friend us on Facebook-- information at your fingertips.
Today is Wednesday, and most of us will probably forget to fast when we pour our orange juice this morning and start munching on a bagel. So you, dear reader, are more than welcome to join us in our fasting. It requires no travel, you don't have to sign up, and you can fast in whatever manner you feel the Lord indicates. Maybe you'll skip lunch. Maybe you won't watch TV tonight. Talk it over with God; you'll figure out what's best. The important thing is to pray while you do whatever it is you're (not) going to do.
Fasting without prayer is like...dancing without music. It's still dancing-- but it was meant to be accompanied.
We hope you will acompany us today with your prayer, your fasting, or both. We have much to accomplish in preparation for the KICKOFF RALLY Sunday Sept.20at 2pm.
Did I mention the Kickoff Rally takes place two Sundays from now? in the afternoon? GVSU's campus? No? Fliers will be posted soon in churches all across this grand city. You can visit our website, tweet us on Twitter, or friend us on Facebook-- information at your fingertips.
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