7:00 a.m. Prayer Vigil
We had a beautiful, but chilly, beginning to our Spring 2014 Sterling Heights 40 Days for Life journey! 12 of us gathered at the clinic at 7:00 a.m. to lift up our gratitude and heartfelt prayers for life to our Heavenly Father. The sunrise was spectacular--emerging from its sleep with amazing yellows and oranges, as if to welcome our prayers of hope to that sidewalk of tears. Then another blessing came in the form of Father Joe from St. Malachy. He joined our opening prayer and, to our surprise, blessed us with Ashes – we were so moved with gratefulness –Father Joe is such a diligent prayer warrior in the battle for LIFE. Sue lead us in amazing prayers and readings – placing each of us at the side of those pre-born children who have no one to fight for them because, sadly, the lies of this world have filled and hardened the hearts of their mothers, fathers, doctors, etc. We fervently prayed for a change in hearts and attitude towards LIFE. The scripture from Isaiah 49:15-16 “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you. See, I have inscribed you on the palms of my hands…” was part of our focus. Thank You God for not forgetting anyone! God is so merciful and gracious and we pray that all who have been swept into the tentacles of abortion find their way to Jesus, Who will redeem them and clothe them with His love and mercy. What a blessing it is to be a part of our 40 Days for Life family! If you have time these next 40 days of Lent, come to the sidewalk and talk with our Savior—He will give you focus and honor your heartfelt prayers. (Maribeth)
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Mike told our prayer group, "God was talking to us" ~ 12 PW's showed up ~ 12 Apostles ~ & that was true. When a PW had to leave for work, another PW showed up ~ awesome. Sue talked about how during 911, the New York abortion mills were open. How horrid is that!?!?! The evil one has taken over so many souls so we MUST be on-site at these killing mills in peaceful prayer. We MUST be the voices for the precious, helpless unborn babies in such danger. Please pray & think about offering ONE HOUR in peaceful prayer this Lent. (Jenny)
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Upon returning home from that prayerful vigil, on the radio was the song, He's Got the Whole World in His Hands. Pause to remember- Nothing happens that is not in God's plan; all is for our best. The sufferings of Christ, how treacherous, scandalous that an innocent man should endure, without a word of complaint. He endured all out of love for us and our salvation. God's ways are not our ways, nor
the ways of the world. May we joyfully take up the cross, without complaint, being assured that the sufferings of the present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come. What a powerful way to begin Lent, praying with 12 dedicated prayer warriors. (Sue k)
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6:00 p.m. Prayer Vigil
Dressed in layers, with my Pray To End Abortion sign hanging from my right arm, I faced WomanCare abortion mill, blest myself with holy water & sprinkled a bit on the ground around me. It was light long enough for me to say all the opening prayers. A young woman slowed down to give me "thumbs up" before she made her turn into traffic. Another young woman stopped & gave me a great big smile & waved hello. A man drove by & nodded in approval. It was 22 with a slight breeze & I could feel the chill already, so I started walking toward the traffic light saying/singing the Holy Rosary meditating on the Glorious Mysteries. Maribeth arrived ~ yeah!!! & she took over leading. After we finished, we hugged good bye & I went to my car to get out of the cold & she went to attend the 40 Days for Life Kick-Off Mass at St. Thecla. Be sure to check out our blog, I'm sure there will be some thoughts posted from various PW's about this evenings Mass. I wish I could have been there, but had to finish up a bit of work right after my prayer vigil & get it emailed into the office. In my car, I placed my pro-life sign in the front window then sang the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. My prayers this evening were for all involved in abortion in any way, that Our Lord's light & truth would break through their hardened hearts & they would realize how evil killing a baby in the womb is. (Jenny)
7:00 p.m. Ash Wednesday - 40 Days for Life Kick-Off Mass
There was a nice gathering at St. Thecla for Ash Wednesday and many people stopped by the 40 Days for Life table to pick up information or to sign up for prayer hours. Thank you! We look forward to seeing you on the sidewalk!
Yes, it was so encouraging to see so many brave the cold and get out of bed. Mike and I were at the clinic from 11:10 until 1:20 pm. Shortly after we arrived, a lovely lady named JoAnn joined us. She came all the way from the Almont area and this was her first time. We prayed the Rosary and other prayers. A little later, Mary Rapinski came and we prayed again. As we were starting a second rosary, Richard came and we prayed the second Rosary with Richard. Richard continued on by himself after we left. Thank you all, Mike and Kathy
ReplyDeleteLast night I prayed with Jenny and Maribeth. They are such a joy to pray with! Thank You Jenny and Maribeth for your powerful witness and dedication.
ReplyDeleteConnie