It began here. Let it end here

I agree that we need prayer and fasting and all that, but I think something we really need to pray for is unity in the pro life movement and help in standing together to not just pray together but to agree on how we are going to battle against abortion.

My friend, Brendan, works for the Center of Bioethical reform in Canada. When we talk and the issue comes up, he’s expressed that one of the biggest problems in the pro life movement is the fact that we’re battling it as if its some sort of side hobby. Most pro life workers have other full time jobs and families and tend to make pro life events into a social gathering for prayer, while the other side has tons of full time workers who make a living off of keeping abortion legal.

His stance is something I’ve been contemplating for a time. I know the importance of prayer when it comes to the movement, and I kind of argue back and forth with him about it. I don’t know how much of it I agree with or not. But I do think that to make statements of: “We will not win this battle in the courts. We will not win this battle in the media. We will not win this battle in any earthly way.” can get us going down a road where rather than acting as God’s hands and feet and having our actions centers on prayer and giving him all the credit for our successes. We need to take action as his hands and feet and allow him to answer our prayers through His using us, through His calling us to make great sacrifices, to discern where our action is called, etc, etc, etc.

Prayer gives us grace, but it requires action. Our sacrifices for this to offer up to God needs to be more than just a fast.

I particularly like the idea of Fridays being used for this purpose because next to Sunday, Friday is the most secularized day of the week. I’m in–thanks for asking.
As for the prayer vs action question, there are always fine lines, but because we do live in a democracy and share responsibility for our government and our laws, our prayers must, I believe, lead to a firm public stance. That would be true in any case where lives are at stake in any nation, but I think it is particularly true in a country that has been blessed with freedom.

Check out Missionaries Evangelium Vitae, part of Priests for Life. You may be insterested in joining.

I will add decades of the rosary for this intention.

i will pray every first friday fervently