Happy Belated Solemnity of the Annunciation! Just think, nine months from now, we will celebrate the birthday of Jesus on the Feast of Christmas. I am already excited. Well, yesterday we recalled the encounter Mary had with the Archangel Gabriel who told her: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." Saint Gabriel also announced "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus." Mary learned from God through the message of one of His angels that she was being called to be a mother - the mother of Jesus, the Second Person of the Holy Trinity. Her "fiat" (yes) to God in her own words "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" are meaningful to us even today. They not only provide a witness to anyone who would make themselves available to a vocation from God, but particularly they resound in the hearts of women who may find themselves in a similar situation to Mary.
Unfortunately, a current attitude in the culture of death has been leading many women to "be very afraid" and to decide to not say yes to the vocation of being a mother and not giving their children an opportunity to live. With the current "legal" option for "abortion," so many women know in their heart of hearts that they became mothers the moment they found out they were pregnant. Please pray for all women that they would heed the words of Saint Gabriel the Archangel - "Do not be afraid." Fear and being afraid is what drives so many people to turn to the culture of death and organizations like Planned Parenthood (PP) to take the "easy" way out of their situation. It is a very sad situation. It reminds me of the 9th Station of the Cross that we meditate on with Jesus' Meeting the Women of Jerusalem. His response to them resonates to so many women today: "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep instead for yourselves and for your children, for indeed, the days are coming when people will say, 'Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed." (Luke 23: 28-29).
Thankfully, more and more people are taking a stand against organizations like PP with opportunities for prayer the Annual March for Life in Washington, D.C. and the 40 Days for Life! The current campaign runs from March 9 - April 17, 2011. I am also pleased with initiatives like "Live Action" and Lila Rose who are working tirelessly to uncover the lies and atrocities that are going on all the time not too far from our homes, especially at PP locations.
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| seminarians and others praying the Rosary at PP |
Hopefully, one day, the holocaust of abortion will end in our country and in our world. Since 1973, abortion on demand in America has been a legal option. In our country, millions of innocent lives have been lost because of the legal "choice" of abortion. We must not stop praying, speaking on behalf of the unborn and never lose hope!
Here are some pictures from yesterday on the Solemnity of the Annunciation at the Indianapolis PP with 40 Days for Life participants praying for life. The place definitely is dismal, dreary and unwelcoming. I wonder what goes on in the minds of people who drive onto the property of PP. Again, this is all so very sad!
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| very sad... very cold (not just the temperature) |
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| not very welcoming... "No Trespassing" |
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