40 Days for Life Day 21

Today's Reflection is heart warming, touching and hope producing. Please read it.


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DAY 21 INTENTION
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Pray that we become vessels of hope to all aroundus, especially to those who minister in thepro-life movement.
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SCRIPTURE
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On the first day of the week, very early in themorning, the women took the spices they hadprepared and went to the tomb. They found thestone rolled away from the tomb, but when theyentered, they did not find the body of the LordJesus. "Why do you look for the living among thedead? He is not here; he has risen!"-- Luke 24:1-5
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REFLECTION
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This meditation, based on a sermon I once heard,is adapted for pro-life concerns.

It's Friday. Jesus is on the cross.
He has been killed by his enemies;
he is off the scene.
But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday.
Abortionists continue their work 3,300 times a day,
tearing off the arms and legs of little babies
and crushing their heads.
But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday.
Pro-abortion groups receive blood money
from billionaires who are as deceived as they are.
But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday.
Liars attempt to speak for all women and hide the pain of abortion,
and ignore the evidence of how it harms women,
and call abortion a blessing.
But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

It's Friday.
People of hardened hearts, guard the clinics
and usher desperate women in to have their abortions,
while keeping them from the pro-life people
who want to give them hope.
But that's because it's Friday.
Sunday's comin'!

Hope does not mean that we ignore or minimize the evils around us. It means, rather, that we see the whole picture, which is that evil is conquered because of what happened one Sunday morning. We are called to proclaim, celebrate, and serve that victory, waiting in joyful hope for Christ's return and the full flowering of the Culture of Life!Indeed, Sunday's comin'!
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PRAYER
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Lord, fill your people with new hope. Make us vessels of hope to all around us, especially to those who minister in the pro-life movement, that as we engage in the difficult work ahead, we may experience the peace and joy that come only from you and that nobody can take away from us. We ask this through Christ our Lord, Amen.
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Today let's overcome ambivalence with prayer and
be open to the calling of the Holy Spirit!
Yours for Life,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director

40 Days for Life

Shalom~~Sunday's comin'!

40 Days for Life Day 20

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DAY 20 INTENTION
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We pray for humility in our work for God's Kingdom.
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SCRIPTURE
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Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bond servant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.-- Philippians 2:5-8
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REFLECTION
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There is no limit to what we can accomplish when we don't care who gets the credit. Jesus Christ's life on earth exemplifies a total submission to the will of the Father. His humility, compassion, gentleness and thoughtfulness are reflected over and over again in the New Testament. He was God incarnate, yet He chose to be born to a humble, working class home. How absurd it must have seemed to the rich and powerful that the Son of God, the Messiah, the one foretold by the prophets, the 'King of the Jews' was born and raised as a simple peasant. During His thirty-three years on earth, He sought no riches, claimed no secular power and gatheredno possessions.His short time on earth changed more lives,softened more hearts, and gave hope to more people, than all the rich and powerful human 'kings' combined. And, at the end of His life on earth, by dying on the cross, He opened the door to eternal life for those who heed his words and follow in his footsteps.
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PRAYER
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O Lord, help us follow in the footsteps of Jesus. Let us humbly and diligently work to restore legal protection for the unborn, the disabled, the medically dependent and all innocent children of God whose lives are threatened. Let us remember the old adage that "He can never lead who has not first learned to obey." And, Lord, grant us a peaceful heart as we labor and pray in Your name. Amen.
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As we move into the second half of 40 Days forLife, let's double our efforts and finish strong!Yours for Life,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life
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Shalom, dear ones~

40 Days For Life Day 19

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DAY 19 INTENTION
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Pray that when those representing Planned Parenthood and other abortion groups see volunteers for 40 Days for Life, they see ambassadors of Christ, and may each volunteer be consciously aware at all times of Whom were present.
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SCRIPTURE
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I...beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness, and gentleness, with long suffering, bearing with one another in love.-- Ephesians 4:1b-2
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REFLECTION
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When Carol Everett, a former abortionist and post-abortive woman, was asked what turned her heart from death to life in Christ, she said, "It was unconditional love," shown by a man who prayed daily for her in front of the abortion clinic where she worked. He told Carol that "God had sent him" because there was someone in there that God wanted out. She left 27 days later and now serves as Christ's ambassador to help others. We too have been sent by Christ as an ambassador to love unconditionally those God seeks to "get out" of their bondage and sin. What a high calling it is -- much higher than any presidential appointment to another country. In his book, Fishers of Men, Dr. Sumner Wemp describes what it means to be an ambassador of Jesus Christ, the King of Kings:
*God has chosen us (John 15:16)
* We are sent into a world that is not our home (1 Peter 2:11)
* Our walk must match our talk (1 Timothy 3:7)
* We must abide in Him for daily instruction (John 15:5)
* Know our purpose -- to seek and to save that which is lost (Luke 19:10)
* We are to reconcile others to God with His authority (Matthew 28:19-20)
* Do not let kindness and truth leave you (Proverbs 3:3-4)
* Our service is to be grounded and rooted in love (Ephesians 3:17)
Pray that we each will walk worthy of the calling with which we were called!
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PRAYER
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Dear Heavenly Father, we are humbled that you have called us and appointed us to be ambassadors of Christ in a world that is not our home.We pray that your Holy Spirit will empower us to walk worthy of the calling. We pray that Your unconditional love will flow through us to those who desperately need Your saving grace. In the Name of Christ who is worthy, Amen.

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Yours for Life,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Shalom~

40 Days For Life Day 18

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DAY 18 INTENTION
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May we absorb the truth that God is paying attention to us, and to each human life, personally and individually.
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SCRIPTURE
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When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.-- Psalm 8:3-9
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REFLECTION
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How often we ignore the phrase, "stop and smellthe roses" and instead submit to the all too"urgent" task at hand. Is this tendency what keeps us, at least in part, from acknowledging that God's care for His sacred creation is paramount in His own mind? The Psalmist speaks of God's handiwork: the heavens, the work of his "fingers," and then points to God's masterpiece -- human life. He declares to us that God is mindful of us. God keeps His masterpiece in His thoughts. God, the creator of the awe-inspiring heavens, is not distracted by the tasks before Him. He is not pulled away, as we might be, by thoughts of something "more important. "God is paying attention to and attending to His crowning glory, His masterpiece of creation, which cannot be duplicated or replaced, which surpasses the beauty of all other created things -- the human being. There is no way to adequately describe how God feels about us as human beings. There are no words to fully portray His love, compassion or desire to be in communion with us. Perhaps, the closest we can come, is to contemplate the thoughts of a mother as she gazes for the first time at her newborn child. God cares for Life. We, as His followers, should take time to consider the life He has created and called upon us to love and protect.
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PRAYER
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Lord, you are the creator of all things. Guide my thoughts to consider your creation in all of its majesty, beauty and holiness. Guide my heart especially to your creation of precious human life. Help me to comprehend how essential life is in your own heart. Teach me to appreciate, love and protect all human life through your son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

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Today, let's pierce the darkness by heeding thewords of Matthew 5:16: "Let your light shinebefore men in such a way that they may see yourgood works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven."
Yours for Life,
David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Shalom~

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Shalom~~

40 Days For Life Day 17

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DAY 17 INTENTION
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Pray that we choose to trust God to bring an end
to abortion soon, no matter how impossible that
may seem to others.

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SCRIPTURE
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The hand of the Lord was upon me, and He brought
me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the
middle of a valley; it was full of bones.

He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a
great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones
that were very dry.

He asked me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" I
said, "O Sovereign Lord, you alone know."

-- Ezekiel 37:1-3

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REFLECTION
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You and I are standing in a world today over a
field of dry bones: those who have been killed by
abortion, those who have been killed by so many
other things attacking the dignity of human life.
And God has placed us here; we find ourselves here
in the midst of this incredible tragedy.

Like Ezekiel, you and I are in a dilemma because
God says to us: "Speak and proclaim the Word of
Life. Keep doing it. Let nothing deter you."

People can say, "This is humanly foolish, humanly
impossible. How can we transform the world from
the path of death that it's on?"

Yet we choose to do the "foolish" thing rather
than the dangerous thing.

If you ever doubt that we can bring an end to this
culture of death, this destruction of the family,
this destruction of life by abortion, if you ever
think for a moment that it's impossible, then ask
yourself this: Can a man who has been scourged,
crowned with thorns, nailed hands and feet to a
cross, pierced with a lance, has died and been
buried; can such a man ever live again?

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PRAYER
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Lord, I thank You for giving me the holy dilemma
of having to choose between the foolish thing or
the dangerous thing.

Yet for me the solution is clear.

Lord, I will obey You, even if it means aiming for
a goal which, in the eyes of others, seems
foolish.

I will obey You, and will hope for the end of
abortion soon, no matter how impossible that may
seem to others. I dare not mistrust You; I dare
not doubt Your power; I dare not fail to follow
Your call. In You, who raise the dead, all hope
comes alive. Amen.

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Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

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Shalom~

40 Days For Life Day 16

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DAY 16 INTENTION
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May the mystery of the Incarnation increase our
zeal for defending life.

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SCRIPTURE
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Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid,
Mary, for you have found favor with God. And
behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring
forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He
will be great, and will be called the Son of the
Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne
of His father David. And He will reign over the
house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there
will be no end."

-- Luke 1:30-33

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REFLECTION
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"God has assumed Humanity, joining it with
Divinity, and kindled in men's hearts new love of
me." These words were written by a Roman poet in
the Fourth Century. He spent his life finding ways
to express the greatest mystery of the world: the
incarnation, in which God became man.

The womb has been referred to as the "first home
of the whole human race." It is the place where
life begins, where our stories start.

In the womb the great men and women of history
began their magnificent march through life.

In the womb Divinity met humanity, and God the Son
was born into the world.

As one of the Fathers of the early church, St. Leo
the Great, declared, "Within her spotless womb
Wisdom built itself a house and the Word became
flesh."

Recently, I was at the hospital for the birth of
my fourth grandchild. Looking through the nursery
window at the rows of newly born babies, I began
to think of the great stories that would be
written about these tiny lives.

During his visitation with the Virgin Mary, the
angel prophesied to Mary about the life of her
child. Here in this hospital, I pondered, what
would he say about each of these?

Would they meet the one who also came from His
mother's womb to redeem the world and kindle our
hearts afresh for God?

I thanked God for each baby alive and prayed for
each story yet to be written.

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PRAYER
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Heavenly Father, you have made the womb of each
woman a very special place.

Help us to hold fast to the sanctity of this first
home of humanity, remembering the wonderful
mystery, that God inhabited the womb of a young
woman and came forth as the savior and deliverer
of the world.

We ask this in the Name of the one who came forth,
Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

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Praise the Lord who hears our prayers!

Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life

Shalom~~

40 Days For Life Day 15

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DAY 15 INTENTION
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Pray that we will not become defeated by the
enemy's attacks but rather call on the name of the
Lord who is on our side and our help in time of
trouble.

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SCRIPTURE
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What if the Lord had not been on our side when
people attacked us? They would have swallowed us
alive in their burning anger.

Praise the Lord, who did not let their teeth tear
us apart! Our help is from the Lord, who made
heaven and earth.

-- Psalm 124:2,3,6,8

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REFLECTION
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The enemy attacks in many ways, but one of his
favorites is to slander us with hopes of
tarnishing our reputation and character, and
ultimately to defeat our good work for the Lord.

It is interesting to note however that it is
usually not the slander that causes harm to our
testimony, but our response to the slander.

Proverbs 24:10 says, "If you faint in the day of
adversity your strength is small."

If we are applying God's truths to our lives
moment by moment, we are not swayed by the lies of
the enemy and we will be strong. Standing on the
front lines, armed with God's truth, places you in
the battlefield for the mind.

As you are prepared to present words of love, for
the sake of the unborn and for the distraught and
confused women and men who are entering the
abortion facilities, know that the enemy has
prepared his forces to attack your mind.

Unkind words from a protester, or vicious lies in
the local paper about who you are and what your
mission is, can indeed be hurtful.

But rather than give in to defeat, that is the
time to shine for the Lord, standing firm, as you
call on Him to defeat the enemy.

Remember the words of Romans 8:31, "If God is for
us, who can be against us?" Let's stand strong for
those who need us most.

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PRAYER
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Dear Lord, help us to ignore the verbal attacks of
the enemy and instead turn to You, our refuge and
strength.

Help us to find shelter in the blessed promises
and provisions of Your Word.

Thank you that no enemy can defeat us, and we
praise You knowing that nothing can separate us
from Your love. In the name of Jesus, we come to
You, Amen.

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Shalom~~

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Shalom~~~

40 Days For Life Day 14

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DAY 14 INTENTION
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Pray that we will have faith to realize that even
now our Lord can bring an end to abortion.

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SCRIPTURE
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On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had
already been in the tomb for four days. Bethany
was less than two miles from Jerusalem, and many
Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them
in the loss of their brother.

When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went
out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord,"
Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my
brother would not have died. But I know that even
now God will give you whatever you ask."

-- John 11:17-22

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REFLECTION
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Martha was right. Jesus is Lord of life and death.

She knew that, which is why she was able to make
this statement, yet at the same time she had to
wrestle with the fact that Lazarus died anyway.

Jesus indeed is Lord over life and death, but here
the power of death was still displayed right in
front of her.

Yet in this clash between the conviction of faith
and the evidence of human experience, Martha
allowed hope to shine through. "Even now, God will
give you whatever you ask."

Even now. Those words show the power of hope, born
of faith. Even now, when death has already done
its work, life can be victorious.

Even now, when the last word seems to have been
spoken, we can hope that a word will be spoken
again to restore life.

Even now, when Lazarus has already been laid in
the tomb and it seems impossible to do anything
about it, things can change. And things did
change. The Lord raised Lazarus from the dead.

We live in a society where many believe the
abortion issue has been settled, and its practice
so deeply ingrained in our policies and attitudes
that it is unrealistic to think we can stop it.

Yet we are the people who say to Jesus, "Even
now..."

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PRAYER
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Lord Jesus, even now, you are master of life and
death.

I come before you as Martha did after Lazarus has
died. I come before you after countless brothers
and sisters of mine have died from abortion.

And I pray to you: even now, you can stop the
forces of death.

Even now, you can bring us into a culture of life.

Come, Lord Jesus. Speak your word yet again, and
free our nation from the shackles of death. In
Your Holy Name we pray, Amen.

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Yours for Life,

David Bereit
National Campaign Director
40 Days for Life