9 Days to Life - Day 6

I hope you're still praying out there.  If you didn't catch much of the coverage from the March for Life in Washington DC, here is something new you can pray for - an increase in adoption.  I'm not talking about people who are willing to adopt - there are 500,000 waiting.  I'm talking about an increase in the number of birthmothers - heros actually - who will make the choice to give their child a chance at life.  Not all birthmothers can be good or willing parents.  There is no sin in knowing that you can't parent a child.  Adoption could again be the best option to abortion for parents who cannot or will not raise a child.  Here is Ryan Bomberger of The Radiance Foundation and speaker at the March for Life:

I know exactly what it feels like to be "in line" to adopt a baby.  Some people would say there is only a "line" for people waiting to adopt healthy white infants.  That's not true.  Even people who have expressed interest in adopting a child with handicaps, exposed to prenatal drug use and of a different race will wait in that line, usually about 2-3 years.  Is that surprising given that for every adoption in this country there are 64 abortions?  That statistic includes adoptions of children who are not infants.

I have a dear friend who is in the process of adopting a beautiful toddler who is almost 3.  His birthmother is not married, is addicted to drugs and is currently awaiting trial on serious criminal charges.  The child's father is not in the picture.  Despite these issues, the birthmother made a choice to let her son live.  The birthmother's family tried very hard to help raise the baby, but it just wasn't possible.  They contacted friends who contacted friends and a miracle happened - a boy found his parents.  It is an open adoption so the birthmother's family will still be in this boy's life.  It's not surprising that they want to have him in their lives - he is a ray of sunshine to everyone who sees him with his carrot top and stunning blue eyes.  His birthmother may have problems but she is a hero.  If you want to see more about Riley's story, visit Songs Kate Sang.

To continue your novena for life, visit the USCCB website.

Tomorrow - we're just getting started out here on the West Coast!

CC

p.s.  If you are following me on Facebook, sorry if it seems like I'm bombarding you with multiple posts in a day.  I'm still getting used to the timing and with a post each day during this novena, I'm a little inconsistent about timing.

9 Days for Life - Day Five

Today is Day Five for me, but there is a bit of a disconnect because if you're following along on the USCCB website you know that Day Five was actually yesterday, January 22.  The reflections and reparations are geared toward the actual anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the March for Life.  That's not going to stop me from moving forward; everyday is a great day to pray and make reparations to end abortion.  If you are interested in seeing Day Five prayers, go HERE

As part of the March for Life events, a Vigil Mass held on Tuesday night included a homily from Cardinal Sean O'Malley.  It was very moving and maybe not in the way you might think:

"The Pro-Life Movement needs to be the merciful face of God to women facing a difficult pregnancy.  Being judgmental or condemnatory is not part of the Gospel of Life."

Wow.  But there's more

"We are all here because we want to save the thousands of innocent children who are being executed by the very people whose mission should be to heal and protect life.  The truth is that we can save those babies only by saving the mothers.  When they experience God's loving mercy then they will become capable of showing mercy to their children.  The Pro Life Movement has to be about saving mothers.  We need to focus on the women to try to understand what they are suffering."

The entire homily is well worth your time to watch or read.  You can do both at Salt and Light.

Mother and Child by Pablo Picasso

Personally, I would love to see more adoption to take the place of abortion.  I'm really not sure why, but adoption has become a dirty word in American society.  The idea that a mother could give up her baby to strangers seems cruel to many.  Is that worse than if she had never given that child an opportunity to be born?

Mothers who carry their babies to term despite the obstacles - poverty, shame, rejection or lost opportunities - they are the heroes.  We need to celebrate them.  We need to find ways to help them, whether their choice is to raise the child or their choice is to give the child an opportunity to be loved by another family.  Those are the real choices.

Tomorrow I want to tell a few stories about adoption.

CC

9 Days for Life - Day 4

We've made it to Day 4 of the novena for life.  Events are beginning in Washington DC in anticipation for the March for Life.  Keep the folks shivering in the snow in your prayers - it's going to be a cold one.

I saw a quote from the Governor of New York who said that pro-life people are not welcome in New York.  That angers me.  There.  I said it.  For you who know me, I can be somewhat militant.  One of my friends calls me a "defender of the faith."  I don't know about that, but I do consider it a compliment.  However, my goal is to keep "Comfortably Catholic" non-militant.  I may not always be successful, but I will try my best.

Today I want to focus on prayer for those who disagree with the pro-life prospective.  I know many of them are as ardent in their beliefs as I am in mine.  I really want to dislike them.  Ugly rhetoric and shouting matches will not bend hearts and change minds.  Only God can do that.  So today I'm praying for those who don't agree with me.  Maybe God will change my heart too.

You can find the prayers/reflections for today HERE.

Father of life,
As you have given me the gift of life,
So may I give it away each day to you,
And to my brothers and sisters,
That through penitence, prayer, and charity
My days on earth may lead me home to you.

CC

9 Days to Life - Day Three

It's Day Three of the 9 Days to Life, a novena to end the horrors of abortion.  You can see the prayers and reparations for today HERE.

While the primary victim of abortion is the unborn baby, there are other victims - mothers, fathers, grandparents and siblings.  Rachel's Vineyard offers healing for the other victims of abortion and conducts retreats all over the country.  Silent No More offers the victims of abortion an opportunity to tell their story.

It's not enough to pray for an end.  It's important that we pray for the other victims.

God of all creation,
May men and women of every time and place
Proclaim the Gospel of Life:
A Gospel of God's love for us,
A Gospel of human dignity.

Thanks for praying today.

CC

9 Days to Life - Day 2

Welcome to Day 2 of the 9 Days to Life, a novena to end abortion.  If you are seeing this for the first time, a novena is a 9 day prayer commitment for a specific intention.  If you would like to start today, you can see Day 1 and start anytime.

Being pro-life can be complicated.  There are so many ways to protect the sanctity of life.  The bottom line is this - life begins at conception and ends at natural death.  If you would like to continue the novena on Day 2, you can find it HERE.

Did you know there are several ways to join the 9 Days to Life?  You can get an app for your Android device, send a text message or join by email.  Find out more HERE.

"For the Christian, [the commandment 'You shall not kill'] involves an absolute imperative to respect, love and promote the life of every brother and sister, in accordance with the requirements of God's bountiful love in Jesus Christ. . . It is therefore a service of love which we are all committed to ensure to our neighbor, that his or her life may be always defended and promoted, especially when it is weak or threatened."
Pope John Paul II, Encyclical Evangelium Vitae

Please join me in praying for life.

CC

9 Days to Life - Day One

This week marks the 41st anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  I don't know about you, but this video made me cry.  The March for Life and the March for Life West Coast are taking place, but many of us cannot attend.  However, you can do something!  Participate with me in the 9 Days for Life, sponsored by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Everyday for the next 9 days, I will provide the link to the prayers/activities for each day of the novena.  (For those who might not be familiar with the prayer form, a novena is 9 consecutive days of focused prayer, usually for a specific intention.)  It's OK if you start after I do.  (I'm already a day late getting started, so add one day to the dates on the USCCB website.)  A novena can be started at any time.

The complete novena prayers for the first day of the novena can be found HERE. 

It seems so hopeless that we can end this holocaust of our most vulnerable.  Job was a man who knew despair and hopelessness.  When all seemed lost and it looked like God was not there for him, Job refused to succumb to despair:

Job 19:1, 23-27a

Then Job answered and said: Oh, would that my words were written down!
Would that they were inscribed in a record:
That with an iron chisel and with lead they were cut in the rock forever!
But as for me, I know that my Vindicator lives, and that he will at last stand forth upon the dust
Whom I myself shall see: my own eyes, not another's shall behold him
And from my flesh I shall see God
My inmost being is consumed with longing.

Please join me on the 9 Days for Life and let's pray to end the destruction of more generations.

CC