Praying with 40 Days for Life

Today a friend and fellow pro-life group member and I travelled up to London to take part of the 40 Days for Life vigil outside of the BPAS centre in Bedford Square. For those of you who don't know or have never been 40 Days for Life is a peaceful campaign of prayer outside of abortion clinics and centres, like BPAS, that refer women for abortions which takes place in various locations across the country as well as all over the world. One thing that I have found is that people assume that this sort of pro-life outreach is very aggressive, lots of shouting and banner waving and generally trying to force their view upon others but this couldn't be further from the truth. The vigil is peaceful and prayerful, those volunteers who come along do so out of a love for those who are going through a crisis pregnancy as well as their unborn children (as well as those who have previously had abortions) and do not want to cause them any additional distress. What we have discovered as a group from talking to people who have had abortions is that they, more often not, felt as though they had no choice; their partner/boyfriend/husband was pressuring them to do it, their parents were ashamed and wanted them to abort, they were faced with difficulties at work which pushed them to do it. They had no one listen to what they wanted (sometimes they weren't even asked!) and even though they know that things like adoption exist, in that time of stress and panic they chose what felt as though it was the only way out, a decision they now regret. What the campaign aims to do is to show women that there are other options; if they don't want the baby they can choose adoption, if they feel that they can't financially support a child there are many, many ways to do this now, if they are facing abusive situations they can be helped to get out of them, if they are alone then there are lots of people who can help support them and if they have had an abortion in the past or have been affected by one they can be put in touch with a counsellor to help them to deal with this loss. The volunteers don't approach people as they enter but stand quietly over the road, praying the rosary and similar prayers. If someone comes up and speaks to us we do, of course, speak to them but we don't try to stop people entering the centres. We pray for them amongst ourselves. There are the odd hecklers (there were three when I was up there on Friday) but mostly people look but pass on by.

I feel I now have to blog about something that happened later on which is not part of the campaign but does worth mentioning. I apologise for my poor retelling of this but I hope you can see why I wanted to relate it. After our hour there my friend and I had lunch and after we'd warmed up we started back for the train station. To do so we walked past the vigil again and we saw that the local pro-choice group had set up their table behind them and one young woman had sellotaped a banner to the ground a short distance in front of them that read "These people tell LIES about abortion." I slowed my pace and we both read it as we walked by and the woman herself then said that the pro-lifers spread lies about abortion. I told her I didn't agree, she said that was my opinion, I then pointed to her slogan said and that this was simply hers. To my shame I was going to carry on walking but my very courageous friend stopped and we had what then became a very interesting and worthwhile conversation. I owe my friend a great big thank you! What was so good about this conversation was that we each took the time (albeit briefly as we did, alas, have a train to catch) to listen to each other's point of views (one of the other pro-choice group came over to talk to us too) and discuss them. Had we had more time we could all have had a coffee together and had a very fascinating discussion I'm sure!! My friend spoke about her own abortion, the pro-choice lady had had one too, and she said how she deeply regretted it as she knew that that action had ended another life. The pro-choice lady (sorry, I don't want to use names or descriptions of people without permission) said she felt the pro-lifers were intimidating, we responded to that by saying we want to highlight there are other options; both my friend and other people we both know have, as I previously said, felt pushed into it, no other options were given in any of the stories we told her which she agreed was wrong. She also said she felt that, on both sides of the argument, it was male-dominated; men telling women to abort or not abort and she thought too that the pro-life movement was mainly men; we told our group is all women and we are not anti-woman in any way. My friend said she'd become involved in this peaceful movement due to her own abortion and I told her that I had because I did not believe that anyone, under any circumstances had the right to take the life of another which is why I would also never support euthanasia or the death penalty (if there were ever a push for it to be legalised once more). What we both found quite interesting is that she agreed with me totally in this view, we were coming from the same starting place but she didn't consider an unborn baby a baby. I wish we'd had longer to talk about this as we did start talking about when life begins and it really was good to discuss it. What we all agreed before my friend and I dashed off for the train was that the two sides should talk more as we'd all got something out of our brief and polite exchange.

After we left I did feel very bad that I would have just carried on walking and I have no excuse as to why. Perhaps I let my own fear or misguided bias of what the other side might have to say but what I discovered is that we actually do have a lot of common ground but differ on some very key and essential points (I didn't see the common ground side of it before) and we should really engage with each other more often. Even if ultimately we agree to disagree we can't expect to make a difference, to change minds and hearts without properly listening to one another, hearing what we each have to say and explaining our points of view. And how can we properly witness to the truth if we don't take up the opportunities to do so?! Thank you so much, again, to my fellow pro-life as she did a great thing today and I won't just walk on next time!!

Thank you, Papa B!

 My reaction to the news today of Pope Benedict XVI's resignation was, I expect, fairly typical - shock and sadness.  I love "Papa B" - as our Pope, but also for his particular qualities... his theological wisdom, the way he has re-established a place in the Church for centuries-old traditions such as the Extraordinary Form Mass so that they can take their place alongside and complementary to newer developments, his sincere engagement with modern secular culture, his love for souls and evangelical zeal... and, above all perhaps, his devotion to those two soulmates who can never survive when separated: Love and Truth.

I know the rest of St John's Pro-Life Group as well as countless others will join me in praying for a happy and blessed retirement for "Papa B" and in thanksgiving for the countless blessings he has brought to the Church.  This is a pro-life blog and so I would especially like to thank Pope Benedict for his tireless defence of the sanctity of human life and his steadfast witness to the truth of human nature.  Over the years he's written and said many things on the subject; in grateful commemoration of this aspect of his ministry, I quote here from his message for this year's World Day of Peace on 1 January (courtesy of the Priests for Life website).

Peacemakers are those who love, defend and promote life in its fullness

The path to the attainment of the common good and to peace is above all that of respect for human life in all its many aspects, beginning with its conception, through its development and up to its natural end. True peacemakers, then, are those who love, defend and promote human life in all its dimensions, personal, communitarian and transcendent. Life in its fullness is the height of peace. Anyone who loves peace cannot tolerate attacks and crimes against life.

Those who insufficiently value human life and, in consequence, support among other things the liberalization of abortion, perhaps do not realize that in this way they are proposing the pursuit of a false peace. The flight from responsibility, which degrades human persons, and even more so the killing of a defenceless and innocent being, will never be able to produce happiness or peace. Indeed how could one claim to bring about peace, the integral development of peoples or even the protection of the environment without defending the life of those who are weakest, beginning with the unborn. Every offence against life, especially at its beginning, inevitably causes irreparable damage to development, peace and the environment. Neither is it just to introduce surreptitiously into legislation false rights or freedoms which, on the basis of a reductive and relativistic view of human beings and the clever use of ambiguous expressions aimed at promoting a supposed right to abortion and euthanasia, pose a threat to the fundamental right to life.

There is also a need to acknowledge and promote the natural structure of marriage as the union of a man and a woman in the face of attempts to make it juridically equivalent to radically different types of union; such attempts actually harm and help to destabilize marriage, obscuring its specific nature and its indispensable role in society.

These principles are not truths of faith, nor are they simply a corollary of the right to religious freedom. They are inscribed in human nature itself, accessible to reason and thus common to all humanity. The Church’s efforts to promote them are not therefore confessional in character, but addressed to all people, whatever their religious affiliation. Efforts of this kind are all the more necessary the more these principles are denied or misunderstood, since this constitutes an offence against the truth of the human person, with serious harm to justice and peace.

Today is the Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes.  Let's ask her to pray for our Pope in his retirement, for the Barque of St Peter as it awaits the next Captain to steer it through often choppy waters and especially for the conclave who must elect that Captain.  May God's Will be done!

Same sex marriage - why we must act urgently

Today two members of our parish pro life group, Stella and myself, had the good fortune to attend one of SPUC's Information Days for clergy and laity which are to be held around the country on the subject of the same sex marriage Bill that the Government wishes to introduce imminently.  We were spoilt in that the meeting was held in our own church hall - other delegates had to brave icy roads and snow-delayed trains to attend, but I'm sure they thought it was worth it.  An inspiring and informative day which has, I'm sure, left us all convinced of the necessity of urgent action.

The first speaker was Anthony McCarthy, a bioethicist and Philosophy tutor who now works for SPUC overseeing their educational work and publications and their website.  His talk, Protecting Marriage - Protecting the Unborn, set the whole day in context by illustrating just why the issue of same sex marriage is so important for all of us and why an organisation whose primary concern is protecting the sanctity of life had got involved in the issue.  He pointed out that one doesn't have to be "religious" in order to believe that marriage, defined as an exclusive and committed union between one man and one woman, should be protected.  As Catholic Christians, yes we believe that Jesus Christ raised marriage to the dignity of a sacrament, but the very existence of that sacrament depends on a prior reality - natural marriage, as inbuilt into our very natures as male and female human beings.  This natural reality precedes all civil definitions and thus determines them.

Natural marriage involves a very particular type of love; that between a male and a female, whose sexual union is oriented towards and contains the possibility of procreation.  To attempt to introduce same sex "marriage" is not a widening of that definition but in fact abolishes it.  If "marriage" is redefined as simply the union of two individuals (gender irrespective) who love each other and want to have sex (procreative potential irrespective), that is a new definition which supersedes and makes redundant the former more particular one.  Marriage as we know it will have been legislated out of existence!  The new definition is one which ignores all the natural attributes which come with our birth gender and its procreational characteristics; our bodies, our human natures, become blank slates which we can "orientate" as we wish.

The implications of this are far reaching and beyond the scope of this post to narrate in detail.  What I find frightening is that we seem to be wiping out any givens when it comes to defining human nature.  We are each a mini god, not only able but with a positive right to create ourselves into whatever we want to be, to do whatever we want to do, without any externally imposed limitations.  This is a highly individualistic worldview which ignores the many familial and social ties that were previously accepted as resulting from our inherent male or female human natures.  Ignoring ties means ignoring responsibilities and in a world of competing individual rights, whose right is going to dominate (because for the sake of social cohesion, someone's has to)?

Why has SPUC got so involved in this issue?  The redefinition of marriage and the new genderless, "orientationalist" concept of the human being impacts, as Anthony pointed out, upon our notions of sex and complementarity - and therefore our concept of the human family itself, where a man and a woman commit to a union from which children can potentially result.  Far more abortions occur outside of marriage than within it.  It follows that marriage has a primary role in protecting the unborn child and to weaken marriage is to leave many more children in the womb vulnerable.  Marriage and the family relationships stemming from it have in fact given rise to our societies as we know them and have very fundamental implications for our self-identity as individuals.

I've rambled on a bit but I think these foundational issues are important, because so many people will say "Yes marriage is important, but if people with same-sex attraction want to marry each other, let them - what difference will it make to the rest of us?"  Anthony showed (with a skill I have not been able to reproduce) that it will in fact make a fundamental difference to the rest of us, to the way we view ourselves, to the ethos and structure of our society.  He and Antonia Tully of SPUC (whose talk followed) both stressed the frightening legal implications for schools and churches.  Not only are pastors, teachers etc who refuse to teach the equality of gay and "straight" marriage unlikely to be able to avoid legal censure, in the case of some professions to the extent of losing their jobs (despite the Government's talk of protection of conscience, any cases brought against such professionals are likely to succeed in court once the basic legislation equalising all sexual relationships is in place), but there are implications for school curriculum content.  Antonia mentioned the insidious ways in which "gay sex ed" is already subtly infiltrating lessons.  Just a photo here, a phrase there, but the mindset is being prepared and the avalanche has been triggered...

So what can we do?  Antonia and the third speaker, SPUC's Honorary Treasurer Bob Edwards, had some clear suggestions to make.  First and foremost, lobby and/or write to your MP and get others to do so!  Consider getting a group together to pop SPUC's leaflets through letterboxes (see SPUC's website for order details).  Have you signed the Coalition for Marriage petition yet (you can do so via this blog on the right)? Catholic parishes should soon be receiving postcards from the Bishops for parishioners to send to their MPs; perhaps organise a table at the back of church so that people can sign these on the spot, and then arrange for them to be delivered to your MP en masse.  Do other people in your church fully understand all the issues implied in same sex marriage and that opposing this marriage does not mean one is a homophobe (it is worth noting that all gay people are by no means united in support of gay marriage)?  Can you work with your priest or pastor to inform others?

This is a difficult and sensitive area, of course, and it is hard to convince people that in opposing gay marriage one can still respect the sensitivities of those with same-sex attractions and understand that they have often suffered greatly.  None of us, gay or straight, are totally defined by our sexuality - we are more than that in our common humanity.  I'd be the first to admit that there are many, many gay people who are far better human beings than I and far more worth knowing!  That is not the issue.  This is not about judgement or condemnation, but it is often seen as such.  Neither, for that matter, are gay people the only ones of whom the Catholic Church asks celibacy.  And from a secular point of view, civil unions already provide gay couples with the same legal rights vis-a-vis property and inheritance etc that married couples enjoy.

Our own group plans to meet soon to discuss some of the things we could do.  And as our Deacon Tom pointed out at today's meeting, our most powerful weapon has to be prayer... For marriage, for our government, for all those who struggle with same sex attraction, for all of us that everything we do may be founded in truth and charity.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, sought thy help or implored thy intercession was left unaided.  Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of Virgins, my Mother.  To thee I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful.  O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petition, but in thy mercy hear and answer me.  Amen.

Mary, Mother of God, pray for us in 2013

We wish our readers a very Happy New Year and simultaneously make a resolution to update this blog a little more often...

Today, of course, is the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God.  Could there be a better day on which to pray for pro-life causes; for a change in the modern world's attitude to the dignity and sanctity of human life from conception to natural death and to its approach to human sexuality?

Today many hold very different concepts of "human rights" and "self-fulfilment" to those proposed by Christianity.  Crucially, they also hold different concepts of "compassion" and "solidarity".  For Christians, all the aforementioned are found in obedience, humility, self-sacrifice and carrying the Cross. They are also found in the true love of neighbour which walks with others and supports them in challenging circumstances, rather than encouraging them to simply opt out - an option which may seem the easy solve-all, but which rarely is and often brings ultimately more destructive consequences in its wake.

It is all about Love which is linked to Truth, because without this essential link Love becomes denatured and no longer allows us to help others towards what is truly best for them.

Our Lady in her motherhood is, with Christ Himself, our ultimate model of these virtues and in a way which speaks particularly obviously to those facing the challenge of unplanned pregnancy.  At the same time she is our ultimate model of strength combined with gentleness and kindness, qualities needed not only by every parent but by those who seek to support them.  As "pro-lifers" let us ask Our Mother's intercession for all those facing difficult situations with regard to pregnancy, fertility, disability, illness and old age, and for ourselves that we may have the self-sacrificial courage to be with them all the way in helping them choose and carry through the life-affirming options amongst the many they will be presented with.

Our Lady, Mother of God and Queen of the Family, pray for us!

Praying for an end to abortion

Today we have our first blog post by group member Chris (but due to technical issues it has my name at the bottom!!!)

40 Days For Life is an international campaign that, usually, runs twice a year and hold a peaceful vigil of prayer opposite the headquarters of the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) in Bedord Square, London. Katherine and I went there on Sunday to show our support and also to see if it was something that the Parish might like to support in the future.

The vigil at the corner of Bedford Square, as you can see it
remained well attended after we retreated to find coffee!

We were booked into the 1pm to 2pm slot and arrived, much to our astonishment, at exactly the right time. We found three people at the vigil and in front of them were three boards, showing what the vigil was for and also a large sign with a passage from the Bible on it. The people were very welcoming and pleased to see us, especially the two Polish ladies, who had been standing there for two hours and we're rather cold! We took their place and had a chat with the man, Martin (who we assumed was one of the co-ordinators of the vigil), who was there.

He said that the Polish community had been very supportive of the vigil. He said that there was another vigil up the road and, between them, they had already saved 35 babies from being aborted. The other week, a Pro Choice group set up near them and began shouting abuse. A lady who works nearby came over to the Pro Life group and said that, although she didn't necessarily share their views, she was disgusted by the other group's behaviour. While we were there, only one person said a negative comment as he passed by. Most people looked and were respectful.

While we were there, we prayed as a group which was a beautiful and moving experience in itself as none of us knew each other but we had all been called there by our love for God and our neighbour. There was a blue book with various Scripture passages and prayers in it which we took turns to read aloud, we also said the Rosary. 

After an hour, we said our goodbyes and the man said that they'd be delighted if members from our Parish would be able to come to next year's vigil. Before heading home we stopped to light a couple of candles at the ever spectacular Westminster Cathedral. I'm really glad I went and I know Katherine feels the same. Please, please continue to pray for all those facing crisis pregnancies and for those helping with the vigil.

Memorial to the Unborn Child

Since our group's inception we have been holding small fundraising events (predominantly cake stalls...well everyone likes cake, don't they?) so that we could tidy up the Memorial to the Unborn Child in Hills Cemetery. The memorial, which consists of a simple marble tombstone (although I hasten to mention no-one is buried beneath the plot) that humbly commemorates all children lost before birth whether through miscarriage or abortion as well as still-births. Erected by the old SPUC branch in Horsham several years ago it had been left untended for a long while but was still being regularly visited with flowers and soft toys being left behind. Over the last 9 months a group member's daughter, Bekah, has been digging and slowly preparing the site for planting. It was slow going as, since the ground had never been dug, the soil was as hard as concrete! But now, as you will read in the Pro-Life newsletter at the end of the month, I am very pleased to say that the work is done, the plants are in and it looks wonderful!

If you are up that way do go and have a look-see, say a prayer if you have time for someone you know of who didn't make it to birth or, perhaps, spiritually adopt a child in danger of abortion.

Let us pray and pray and pray

Sometimes it seems that we are facing insurmountable obstacles in our quest to proclaim the Gospel of Life.  Sometimes the task seems futile; we will never change anyone's mind, the tide of public opinion is too strongly turned against us.  Sometimes we are alarmed by the hostility of the opposition.  Worst of all, sometimes the division in our own ranks discourages us, because it seems that even within the Church there are so many dissenting and disagreeing voices and not a little capitulation to secular, morally relativistic values.

As usual our wonderful Holy Father knows what to say and how to shine a certain beam of Truth into our situation.  We must simply pray, and trust.  Prayer was the first reaction of the early Church at the "Little Pentecost", Pope Benedict pointed out during his Wednesday catechesis this week.  When Peter and John are released from prison for preaching the Gospel they return to their brethren, who, as the Holy See Press office (reporting on the Holy Father's catechesis) tells us, "did not reflect on how to react or defend themselves, or on what measures to adopt; rather, 'in that moment of trial they all raised their voices together to God', Who replied by sending the Holy Spirit."

The Vatican Information Service continues, " 'This was the unanimous and united prayer of the whole community, which was facing persecution because of Jesus', the Pope explained. It involved the community 'because the experiences of the two Apostles did not concern only them, but the entire Church. In suffering persecution for Jesus' sake, the community not only did not give way to fear and division, but was profoundly united in prayer'.

"When believers suffer for the faith, 'unity is consolidated rather than undermined, because it is supported by unshakeable prayer. The Church must not fear the persecutions she is forced to suffer in her history, but must trust always, as Jesus did in Gethsemane, in the presence, help and strength of God, invoked in prayer'."

In prayer, we are encouraged and strengthened.  In prayer, we learn to see our trials as "part of a plan of love in which the final victory over evil, sin and death truly is that of goodness, grace, life and God".  In prayer, we are profoundly united with each other, because we begin to see with God's eyes and set aside our personal opinions, needs and prejudices.  This seeing with God's eyes means we can evaluate events correctly, because "in prayer, meditating on Sacred Scripture in the light of the mystery of Christ helps us to interpret current reality as part of the history of salvation which God enacts in the world".

It is only through prayer that we can become opened to be channels of the Holy Spirit, which is so important because only in and through His power are we enabled to "become a force for the transformation of reality, changing the hearts, minds and lives of men and bringing the radical novelty of the Gospel".

Thank you, Papa B, for reminding us that in any circumstance, our very first reaction must be to fall to our knees and pray.  We entrust all pro-life causes, the unity and integrity of the Church, the world and all its souls, here and now and always to God and to the intercession of Our Lady.

Particular causes you might like to raise in prayer right now:

The two Glasgow midwives who were told that they had no conscientious right to object to supervising abortions have appealed against the court's decision.  SPUC are underwriting their legal costs.  Read more here.

Doctors who refuse to prescribe contraception to unmarried women or provide sex-change operations may risk being struck off the medical register.

Kerbside vigils against abortion are being held across the country on 28 April under the auspices of SPUC.

And, of course and always, let's pray for vocations to the priesthood, particularly on Vocations Sunday (29 April).  May God send us many courageous men to lead the way in proclaiming the Gospel of Life!

Father of all,
in the name of Jesus Christ
who came not to be served but to serve,
grant us the grace of many new vocations to the priesthood in our diocese.
Give us men after your own heart who,
following the example of the Good Shepherd,
are willing to joyfully lay down their lives
in your service and for your glory.
We ask this through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Pro-Life Prayers

On Tuesday on the blog Anneli posted about the 40 Days for Life and how to make this Lent a pro-life one. After the news story of sex-selective abortions occurring here in the UK our group has been discussing various ways in which we can pray for life in all its forms. Anneli suggested saying a daily Haily Holy Queen, former member Fr. Terry recommended saying the Angelus either at midday or in the evening and another former group member Fr. Peter suggested saying a weekly Stations of the Cross in honour of all human life. All of these are wonderful ideas, they are simple ways we can help the cause of life all over the world and this, prayer, is the most powerful way we could ever choose to help. Please do join us in using these three marvellous devotions, it makes a huge difference!

(You can download a document with all of the prayers on here.)

Have a Pro-Life Lent

Whoops! Not the best start to Ash Wednesday... old habits die hard

Last week I placed an order to be delivered today from my milkman - a cut-price bumper box of chocolate biccies, end of Christmas stock.  The fact that today is Lenten Eve and the beginning of six weeks of giving up chocolate (Aila and me) and biscuits (hubby) hadn't quite registered.  Luckily the hand of God must have intervened (or the available stocks had already been snapped up by those frivolous souls* happy to guzzle their chocolatey way through Lent), as it wasn't delivered!

Now that I've got my act together, here are reminders of two ways to make your Lent fabulously pro-life... 

40 Days for Life
This has kicked off this evening, with a prayer vigil in Bedford Square, London, opposite an abortion facility.  The Vigil will continue between 8am-8pm every day from 22 February-1 April - see the 40 Days for Life website which has details of the campaign and its events.  If you can't physically join in, why not make it a Lenten resolution to pray the 40 days at home?  During previous 40 Days for Life campaigns our Pro Life group has suggested (by way of the church newsletter) that all parishioners pray a daily Hail, Holy Queen for pro-life causes and held our own all-night vigil before the Blessed Sacrament.
 

National Day of Prayer and Fasting for Life: Ash Wednesday

The Good Counsel Network are encouraging us all to engage in the spiritual battle for an end to abortion and euthanasia this Ash Wednesday.  Offer up your fasting and abstinence together with a Rosary in the knowledge that, as the Maria Stops Abortion blogsite reminds us, "the struggle to end abortion is a spiritual struggle and not merely one of practical concerns or politics".

No, not a giant slice of salami...

However you engage in prayer, fasting and alms-giving this Lent, have a blessed one!  I'm just off to brazenly over-eat, hopefully for the last time in the next few weeks, as Shrove Tuesday this year in our house is Pink Pancake Day - see photo.  (Aila's idea, and a delicious one, but I'm thinking we might try a different colour next year lest our aims be misunderstood.  Why must nice colours and words get hijacked?!)

*I realise I am making assumptions. Quite possibly they are worthy souls who, instead of giving up chocolate, are doing what I cannot do and forsaking wine/cheese instead!

What to do about abortion ads?

Scroll down and you will see the blog post written by our group Chair, Katherine, on "Abortion Advertised as a Service".  She's covered the subject admirably and with her usual eloquence and conviction, so I have nothing to add... apart from to maybe muse as to how anyone could think a three minute slot between ads for Max Factor lipstick and Mr Muscle kitchen cleaner (note: the St John's Pro Life Group is not giving personal endorsement to either of these products!) is an appropriate context in which to offer information about such a serious topic with all its implications in the areas of physical and mental health and of ethics.  It makes it all too easy to think of post conception advice as just another service and abortion as just another “product”, but hey, one doesn’t pop out in one’s lunch hour to pick up the dry cleaning and to dispose of the unwanted products of conception.

With that last sentence I don’t want at all to belittle the struggles of conscience and the difficult circumstances of many women who are considering or who have had abortions - but it seems to me that we are in danger of constructing a social attitude that does just that.  This is serious stuff.  Let’s be responsible about it and let’s keep it right out of the arena of commercial advertising.

As Katherine points out, prayer is our most powerful weapon in the pro-life armoury (and yes, when we are talking about defending life, we are talking about spiritual warfare, even as we compassionately tend those wounded in battle... which includes women who have had abortions).   Having said that, prayer gives rise to action and our group members are writing to our MP again on this one, because there are powers the Government can use to block advertising by commercial post conception advice services.  In doing so we have drawn heavily on some guidelines drawn up by SPUC – thank you SPUC! - which can be found on their website. Please consider doing the same yourself.

How precious YOU are

I have just read this beautiful prayer of Mother Teresa's on The Passionate Papist (via The Pulp.it).  Go over there for the full prayer, but here are some extracts that are particularly "pro life" in that they emphasise just how beautiful, amazing, precious, lovable and loved each and every human being is - without exception.

Jesus says, 'I thirst for you...

'I know you through and through. I know everything about you. The very hairs of your head I have numbered. Nothing in your life is unimportant to Me. I have followed you through the years, and I have always loved you – even in your wanderings. I know every one of your problems. I know your needs and your worries. And yes, I know all your sins. But I tell you again that I love you – not for what you have or haven’t done – I love you for you, for the beauty and dignity My Father gave you by creating you in His own image. It is a dignity you have often forgotten, a beauty you have tarnished by sin. But I love you as you are, and I have shed My Blood to win you back. If you only ask Me with faith, My grace will touch all that needs changing in your life.
 

'I know what is in your heart – I know your loneliness and all your hurts – the rejections, the judgments, the humiliations, I carried it all before you. And I carried it all for you, so you might share My strength and victory. I know especially your need for love – how you are thirsting to be loved and cherished. But how often have you thirsted in vain, by seeking that love selfishly, striving to fill the emptiness inside you with passing pleasures – with the even greater emptiness of sin. Do you thirst for love? “Come to Me all you who thirst…” (Jn. 7: 37). I will satisfy you and fill you. Do you thirst to be cherished? I cherish you more than you can imagine – to the point of dying on a cross for you.

'No matter how far you may wander, no matter how often you forget Me, no matter how many crosses you may bear in this life; there is one thing I want you to always remember, one thing that will never change. I THIRST FOR YOU – just as you are. You don’t need to change to believe in My love, for it will be your belief in My love that will change you.

'All your life I have been looking for your love – I have never stopped seeking to love you and be loved by you. You have tried many other things in your search for happiness; why not try opening your heart to Me, right now, more than you ever have before.

 

'Whenever you do open the door of your heart, whenever you come close enough, you will hear Me say to you again and again, not in mere human words but in spirit. “No matter what you have done, I love you for your own sake. Come to Me with your misery and your sins, with your troubles and needs, and with all your longing to be loved.'