Tribute to Mary, Mother of God

The one who accepted "Life" in the name of all and for the sake of all was Mary, the Virgin Mother; she is thus most closely and personally associated with the Gospel of life. Mary's consent at the Annunciation and her motherhood stand at the very beginning of the mystery of life which Christ came to bestow on humanity (cf. Jn 10:10). Through her acceptance and loving care for the life of the Incarnate Word, human life has been rescued from condemnation to final and eternal death.

For this reason, Mary, "like the Church of which she is a type, is a mother of all who are reborn to life. She is in fact the mother of the Life by which everyone lives, and when she brought it forth from herself she in some way brought to rebirth all those who were to live by that Life".

...The church is fully aware that she bears within herself the Saviour of the world, Christ the Lord. She is aware that she is called to offer Christ to the world, giving men and women new birth into God's own life. But the Church cannot forget that her mission was made possible by the motherhood of Mary, who conceived and bore the One who is "God from God", "true God from true God". Mary is truly the Mother of God, the Theotokos, in whose motherhood the vocation to motherhood bestowed by God on every woman is raised to its highest level...

~ Pope John Paul II, The Gospel of Life (Evangelium Vitae) ~

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 39: Shine a light on the truth

Archbishop Charles Chaput: The Misuse of Freedom

"The American Jesuit scholar Father John Courtney Murray once said that 'Anyone who really believes in God must set God, and the truth of God, above all other considerations.'

"Here's what that means. Catholic public officials who take God seriously cannot support laws that attack human dignity without lying to themselves, misleading others and abusing the faith of their fellow Catholics. God will demand an accounting. Catholic doctors who take God seriously cannot do procedures, prescribe drugs or support health policies that attack the sanctity of unborn children or the elderly; or that undermine the dignity of human sexuality and the family. God will demand an accounting. And Catholic citizens who take God seriously cannot claim to love their Church, and then ignore her counsel on vital public issues that shape our nation's life. God will demand an accounting. As individuals, we can claim to be or believe whatever we want. We can posture, and rationalize our choices, and make alibis with each other all day long--but no excuse for our lack of honesty and zeal will work with the God who made us. God knows our hearts better than we do. If we don't conform our hearts and actions to the faith we claim to believe, we're only fooling ourselves.

"We live in a culture where our marketers and entertainment media compulsively mislead us about the sustainability of youth; the indignity of old age; the avoidance of suffering; the denial of death; the meaning of real beauty; the impermanence of every human love; the dysfunctions of children and family; the silliness of virtue; and the cynicism of religious faith. It's a culture of fantasy, selfishness and illness that we've brought upon ourselves. And we've done it by misusing the freedom that other--and greater--generations than our own worked for, bled for and bequeathed to our safekeeping.

"What have we done with that freedom? In whose service do we use it now?"

"...the same Father Murray who revered the best ideals of the American experiment could also write that 'Our American culture, as it exists, is actually the quintessence of all that is decadent in the culture of the of the Western Christian world. It would seem to erected on the triple denial that has corrupted Western culture at its roots: the denial of metaphysical reality, of the primacy of the spiritual over the material, of the social over the individual...Its most striking characteristic is its profound materialism...It has given citizens everything to live for and nothing to die for. And its achievement may be summed up thus: It has gained a continent and lost its own soul.' "

~Archbishop Charles Chaput, O.F.M. Cap. ~

Address to Phoenix Catholic Physician's Guild, Oct. 16, 2009

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 38: Meet an abortion survivor

The Impact of One Life

THE IMPACT OF ONE LIFE

WHEN A STONE IS DROPPED INTO A LAKE,

IT QUICKLY DISAPPEARS FROM SIGHT--

BUT ITS IMPACT LEAVES BEHIND A SERIES OF RIPPLES

THAT BROADEN AND REACH ACROSS THE WATER.

IN THE SAME WAY,

THE IMPACT OF ONE LIFE LIVED FOR CHRIST

WILL LEAVE BEHIND AN INFLUENCE FOR GOOD

THAT WILL REACH THE LIVES OF MANY OTHERS.

~ Roy Lessin ~

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 37: Major milestone--2000 saved

Over 150 Unborn Babies Saved in New York City!

If you care about unborn babies and their mothers, DON'T MISS the following inspiring video! What the 40 Days for Life volunteers are doing in New York City to help save babies and women from the tragedy of abortion should be enough to make anyone who really cares think about getting involved, if they aren't already. What a challenging example these new Yorkers are for the rest of us. As Chris Slattery, their dynamic leader, said, "Don't tell me you can't do this. I don't care where you're from. I don't care how small your town is...you can do this! If we can do it here in the abortion capital of America, you can do it in the Heartland of America!...Do your 40 Days for Life nearby. Go to the 200 plus sites this last week of the campaign-- or the next 40 Days starting in Lent 2010.

"GET OUT THERE!

GO TO 40daysforlife.com!

GET INVOLVED!

LEAD AN EFFORT!

JOIN AN EFFORT!

SAVE LIVES!

PRAY FOR SOULS!

MAKE A DIFFERENCE!"

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 36: On the streets of New York

The Truth About the Abortion Industry

If you want to learn the truth about what goes on inside abortion facilities, read the testimonies of these former abortion providers.

Carol Everett, former abortion clinic owner: "I cannot tell you one thing that happens in an abortion clinic that is not a lie."

Dr. Anthony Levatino, former abortionist: "...I started to realize...this is somebody's child. I lost my chd, someone who was very precious to us. And now I am taking somebody's child and I am tearing him right out of their womb. I am killing somebody's child."

Dr. Beverly McMillan, former abortionist: "I felt the presence of someone coming up over the back seat of my car and grasping my right shoulder--the hand of heaven."

Joan Appleton, R.N., former abortion nurse: I handled the ultrasound while the doctor performed the procedure...I saw the baby puling away. I saw the baby open his mouth...I couldn't deny what I saw on the screen."

Joy Davis, former abortion clinic regional director and unlicensed abortionist, relating the words said to her by abortionist Tommy Tucker: "She went into labor and delivered a live baby. What could I do?I killed the baby."

Dr. McArthur Hill, former abortionist: "There isn't any way that you can say there isn't a human body when you can look and see the little arms, feet and faces...sometimes the aborted babies were bigger than the premature babies we took to the nursery."

Luhra Tives, former abortion clinic staffer for abortionist Dr.Tiller: "There was nothing wrong with these babies at all--nothing--and these were third trimester abortions."

Meet the Abortion Providers

The Ex-abortionists: Why They Quit

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 35: Sometimes it takes a while

Fr. Sudac Preaches on Abortion, Chastity, Stealing

Fr. Zlatko Sudac, a Catholic priest, doesn't mince words in his concern for the saving of lives and the salvation of souls:

"...human life was never more endangered than in our time,

and who knows how much more it will become in the future,

we can only pray for God's mercy...

at this very second...thousands of people are killed all around the world,

not only with knives, guns, and bombs,

but with the use of your own uterus.

Yes, you're killing.

You who decided to abort...you haven't prevented only one life,

you prevented that child's children and that child's children's children,

and that child's children's children's children's children...

You said to the God's plan: STOP,

because you prohibited someone to come to life...

you prohibited thousands of people to come..

And if you've had 1, 2, 3 or more abortions,

how many thousands of people have you killed?"

IF YOU ARE SUFFERING BECAUSE OF ABORTION, HELP IS AVAILABLE!

4o DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 34: Six days to go, 411 saved!

One Creator: One Pair of Hands

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars which You set in place--

what is man that You should be mindful of him,

or the son of man that You should care for him?

You have made him little less than the angels,

and crowned him with glory and honor.

You have given him rule over the works of your hands,

putting all things under his feet:

all sheep and oxen, yes, and the beasts of the field,

the birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O Lord, our Lord,

how glorious is your name over all the earth!

(Psalm, 8: 4-10)

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40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 33: Changed lives

Why Kathy Ireland Changed From Pro-Abortion to Pro-Life

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40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 32: Christ forgives and heals

New York City: Abortion Capital of America

More than 100,00 abortions are performed in New York City every year! Is it any wonder why a New York Magazine article called it the abortion capital of America? That's hardly a distinction to be proud of--100,000 babies denied the right to life by those who have been blessed with the gift of life themselves!

From today's 40 Days for Life blog post:

"...abortion would still be a tragedy even if it only claimed one life."

Almighty God, Creator of all life, please forgive and heal our nation!

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 31: Abortion Capital of America

God's Gift: The Miracle of Life

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 30: Video...and God hears children's prayers

Dred Scott Decision: Roe v. Wade

"Despite the formidable obstacles before us, we must not lose heart. This is not the first time our country has been divided by a Supreme Court decision that denied the value of certain human lives. The Dred Scott decision of 1857 was not overturned in a day, or a year, or even a decade. At first, only a minority of Americans recognized and deplored the moral crisis brought about by denying the full humanity of our black brothers and sisters; but that minority persisted in their vision and finally prevailed. They did it by appealing to the hearts and minds of their countrymen, to the truth of human dignity under God. From their example, we know that respect for the sacred value of human life is too deeply engrained in the hearts of our people to remain forever suppressed. But the great majority of the American people have not yet made their voices heard..."

~ Ronald Reagan, 1983 ~

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 29: Your prayers are WORKING!

Pope John Paul II: Power of Prayer and Fasting

"Jesus himself has shown us by his own example that prayer and fasting are the first and most effective weapons against the forces of evil (cf. Mt 4: 1-11). As he taught his disciples, some demons cannot be driven out except in this way (Mk 9:29). Let us therefore discover anew the humility and the courage to pray and fast so that power from on high will break down the walls of lies and deceit: the walls which conceal from the sight of so many of our brothers and sisters the evil of practices and laws which are hostile to life. May this same power turn their hearts to resolutions and goals inspired by the civilization of life and love."

~ Pope John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae, 100 ~

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 28: Whom do you serve?

Eduardo Verastegui: 40 Days for Life

God used Eduardo Verastegui to help save a baby's life! Eduardo could not have known that his decision to stop and pray at a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil outside an abortion center in 2008 would actually save a life.

The same can be said for all those who volunteer to offer a prayerful, peaceful, public witness to the sanctity of all human life. The tens of thousands of people participating in this fall 40 Days for Life campaign by prayer, fasting, community outreach, and prayer vigil outside abortion centers can rejoice in the blessing of babies' lives saved. On this twenty-seventh day of the fall 2009 campaign, there have been 299 babies saved--299 precious lives!

If you have not yet participated in 40 Days for Life, there is still time. It is not too late. Check their website for a location near you. If there is no location nearby, you can still participate by prayer and fasting. How often do any of us get a chance to help save lives? We have the chance now, thanks be to God!

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 27: 299 alive!

Life: Imagine the Potential

4o DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 26: It's often personal

The Dignity of Motherhood

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 25: The truth always works

St. Gerard Majella: Saint for Mothers and Children

Today is the feast day of St. Gerard Majella. He has never been officially proclaimed patron saint of mothers by the Church, but a long history of his powerful intercession for mothers and their children, expectant mothers and their unborn children, and those who hope to be mothers has earned him popular acclaim as patron saint of mothers.

I can personally attest to St. Gerard's helpfulness. I had prayed to be blessed with children to no avail. When someone told me about St. Gerard and I started praying to him, God answered my prayers very quickly. It seems God wants to answer prayers by mothers and for motherhood through St. Gerard.

PRAYER TO ST. GERARD

St. Gerard, you worshiped Jesus as the Lord of Life.

I ask you today to pray for my special intention.

(Mention your intention here.)

Lift up to Jesus

all those who seek to conceive a child,

all those having difficult pregnancies,

all those who have suffered the loss of a child,

and all who lovingly lift up their children to God.

Pray that all of us,

by caring for mothers, fathers, and children born and unborn,

may build a Culture of Life,

in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

(from Priests for Life)

BIOGRAPHY OF ST. GERARD MAJELLA

LEAGUE OF ST. GERARD

THE HANDKERCHIEF OF ST. GERARD

NATIONAL SHRINE OF ST. GERARD MAJELLA

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 24: Closed for the day!

SILENT NO MORE: Post Abortion Healing

If you are suffering because of an abortion, help and healing is available for you. The Silent No More Awareness Campaign is one organization that speaks from the experience of personal suffering because of involvement with abortion. Mothers are not the only ones who suffer regrets and agony after an abortion. Fathers, grandparents, siblings, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, and abortion providers are only some of those affected by the tragedy of abortion. The list is endless, because abortion affects all of humanity. The child is gone, but serious consequences remain for those touched by that one life created by a loving God. Relationships with God and others are changed or damaged. Read the testimonies of those who hope to spare others the suffering they've experienced.

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 23: Planned Parenthood abortion center closing!

What Ronald Reagan Noticed About Abortion

"I'VE NOTICED THAT EVERYONE WHO IS FOR ABORTION IS ALREADY BORN."

~ Ronald Reagan ~

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 22: Pray for those who are angry

Father John Corapi: Death Wish of a Once Great Nation

"It is hard to believe that we have degenerated to the point that we'll murder a helpless baby should it escape the violence of an abortion and be born alive.

"...genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of an ethnic, racial, religious, national or social group. What's the group, you might ask. The group is unborn, unwanted children--tens of millions of them.

"From artificial conception to abortion, to partial birth abortion, then on to infanticide, we march toward the abyss of oblivion--a society marked for death. Is it any wonder we can rationalize the killing of the elderly and the sick through euthanasia?

"We are dying by suicide, moral and spiritual suicide; and the moral demise of a nation almost always precedes the ultimate demise of a nation.

"The clock is ticking. Midnight is approaching. Time is running out for our nation--a nation that once was a great nation and could be great again if enough of us wake up and renounce this curse of a death wish. Will God turn His friends over to His enemies as He has done multiple times in the past?

"In the end it is likely that President Abraham Lincoln had it right: "Intoxicated with unbroken success we have become too self-sufficient to feel the necessity of redeeming and preserving grace, too proud to pray to the God that made us!" and thus forgetting that we are one nation under God, we become a nation gone under as President Reagan warned.

"May God grant us the grace to awake from this deadly moral slumber, renounce the death wish, and live like truly free men and women in the glorious freedom of the children of God."

~ Father John Corapi ~

40DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 21: No matter the cost

Blessed Mother Teresa: "Greatest Destoyer of Love and Peace Is Abortion"

40 Days for Life is God's work! If anyone thinks that this pro-life initiative is too little too late, they are sadly mistaken. From the beginning, it was inspired by the Holy Spirit and has grown and borne fruit through the power of the Holy Spirit. If anyone thinks God is indifferent to abortion, they are wrong!

God is Life! Jesus, who is both God and man, said, "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life." God creates life. God sustains life. Only God has the right to decide when a life sent into the world by Him returns to Him.

God loves everyone regardless of the side of the abortion debate a person is on, but God has chosen sides in this debate. He is on the side of life and on the side of all the lives He has created. He does not compromise on this issue.

40 Days for Life was inspired by the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Love. The foundation for this campaign for life is love--love for God, love for the unborn, love for those who have participated in abortion, love for those who might participate in abortion, love for all those who are mistaken in their support of abortion, love for our nations, love for all peoples of the world.

If anyone thinks abortion doesn't affect them or their family, they are mistaken. Abortion affects EVERYONE! Only when God's law of love is obeyed will there be peace on earth! Abortion, the deliberate destruction of tiny, vulnerable human beings before they have a chance to be born is not of God, is not of love. To deny a person the right to life is an insult to the God who creates all life out of His infinite love for mankind.

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta said, "Any country that accepts abortion is not teaching its people to love, but to use violence to get what they want. That's why the greatest destroyer of love and peace is abortion."

Read the 40 Days for Life link to learn how God used an 8-year-old girl singing "Jesus Loves Me" to help save an unborn baby's life.

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 20: 219 babies saved, watch video

David Burke: "We Want to See the World"

"Holy gracious Jesus Christ, we kneel and thank You for our lives,

and pray that every unborn child will see their parents' loving smile.

May every mother realize that You will guard their children's lives,

and every father know the truth--that children are a gift from You."

(Lyrics from We Want to See the World by David Burke)

"My ultimate desire is for the song to help persuade an expectant parent to not have an abortion. I believe that this purpose is the reason the Holy Spirit gave me this song, and I am carrying out His work by spreading the song as far as possible to save as many lives as possible. If this composition saves just one life, every effort I put into the song will be worth it." (David Burke)

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 19: Watching God at work

Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America

Don't miss Maafa 21, a documentary about the origin of Planned Parenthood and its goal to eradicate the black population. After watching the movie, Congressman Trent Franks said, "...it's important to remind ourselves that things CAN change, that we CAN rise above evil tragedies in the world...the whole abortion industry came out of the eugenics movement where they were deliberately trying to decimate the black population, and unfortunately they've been successful. Today...fifty percent of all African American children are killed by abortion before they're born. I hope that somehow America can say 'you know what, enough is enough in that regard. We're not going to let that happen anymore. We're going to recognize this for what it is, and we're going to say there's a better answer than killing children, and there's a better way to help mothers than killing their children for them.' "

FOR MORE INFORMATION GO TO Maafa 21.com

MORE MAAFA 21 VIDEOS

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 18: Never give up

Abortion: Black Genocide

The following music video by Donald Lawrence is dedicated to those who have been hurt by abortion, especially African Americans. One third of abortions performed at American Planned Parenthood centers are on black women.

DR. ALVEDA KING'S ALERT ON BLACK GENOCIDE

"THE MOST DANGEROUS PLACE FOR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN TO BE

IS IN THE WOMB OF THEIR AFRICAN AMERICAN MOTHERS."

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 17: What does God have in store?

Abortion: Blood Money

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 16: Action needed; 40 Days for Life under attack

Eduardo Verastegui: By the Grace of God

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 15: Overcoming the darkness

Abortion: Number One Killer of African Americans

In Abortion and the Conscience of the Nation, President Ronald Reagan wrote:

"Abraham Lincoln recognized that we could not survive as a free land when some men could decide that others were not fit to be free and should therefore be slaves. Likewise, we cannot survive as a free nation when some men decide that others are not fit to live and should be abandoned to abortion or infanticide. My Administration is dedicated to the preservation of America as a free land, and there is no cause more important for preserving that freedom than affirming the transcendent right to life of all human beings, the right without which no other rights have any meaning."

Considering the suffering, sacrifices, and lives lost during the American Civil War to obtain freedom for the African American slaves, what would Abraham Lincoln think today about the large percentage of African Americans who deny the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness to their own unborn children. The very race of people whose freedom was won at such a high personal and national cost have the highest abortion rate, compared to Caucasian and Hispanic. The tragic loss of unborn African American life totaled seventeen million black babies between 1973 and 2005. In addition to those sad statistics, the National Black Pro-Life Union claims that abortion is the number one killer of African Americans.

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 14: The tide is turning

"I Was Meant to Be"

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 13: 123 BABIES SAVED...SO FAR!

Personally Opposed to Abortion, But...

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 12: PRAYING IN THE RAIN

Abortion: Victory for the prince of darkness

A sad reality of the tragedy of abortion is the finality of a mother's decision. There are no second chances, except in rare circumstances when an abortion attempt fails. Once a baby's life is ended, the God-given potential of that one precious human being is lost forever; and the mother will never know the blessings God had in mind for her through the life of that one child.

The only winner when a baby is deliberately aborted is the prince of darkness who hates whomever God loves and relentlessly seeks to destroy them. Since God loves ALL His children, born and unborn, the evil one wages a constant, fierce battle against all of humanity. He exults at our weakness and misery, at our confusion and ignorance, at mankind's foolish pride which leads many on the same path of rebellion that he followed to his own eternal downfall. The enemy of us all is hidden, a master of deceit, treacherous beyond our wildest imaginations.

Dr. Gloria Polo is a woman who learned the hard way how she had been deceived by the prince of darkness and fallen into his traps. In God's mercy, she was given a second chance and has been commissioned by Him to repeat her story as a lesson for the benefit of the rest of us.

The Story Behind the Video!

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 11: AMBASSADORS OF CHRIST

The Harsh Reality of Abortion

Praise God! 102 unborn babies' lives have been saved since the beginning of 40 Days for Life on September 23, 2009; and those are only the ones the organizers know about. Praise God that the same number of women have been saved from a lifetime of regret! In today's 40 Days blog post we hear about a woman who changed her mind when faced with a harsh reality of the abortion procedure described to her by an abortion provider.

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 10: DEFENDING THE TRUTH

Creation, An Act of God's Love

"God created man in His image and likeness

by calling him into existence for love's sake;

at the same time He called him to love.

God is love

and lives a mystery

of personal communion of love in Himself...

Love is the fundamental and native vocation of every human being."

~ Pope John Paul II ~

40 DAYS FOR LIFE DAY 9: THANKS TO ALL FIRST-TIMERS