Life and Lent

I've got to tell you, this year, the pro-life cause has struck me very powerfully. Don't get me wrong, I have always been pro-life. I defied my dad's wishes when I was in 7th grade and went to a pro-life rally at the state senate (he didn't like the fact of the rally...he's pro-life too, of course). But this year, when I think about abortion, I just want to weep. And do something.

Tuesday was the start of the 2nd Annual 40 Days for Life Lenten campaign here in Washington. Despite the bitter cold (and Mardi Gras conflicts), I went to the rally. There were only about 15 of us there--a rather poor showing--but we talked, and then sang hymns, and walked towards Planned Parenthood, singing "Amazing Grace." Standing in front of the Abortion Clinic, we prayed the litany to Jesus in the Womb of Mary, the prayer for the reparation of Abortion, and the prayer for the closing of an abortuary.

The Planned Parenthood in Washington is on 16th street--a main thoroughfare with over 60 churches in its 75 blocks within the District. Close to K Street, and other business districts, it has a steady stream of traffic--people coming to and from work. Our witness is not only for the women who visit Planned Parenthood--it is for all those people who walk by us. It is a witness to the world that we will not allow this tragedy to continue.

---
As we were marching towards PP, two 20-something guys walked past us and started cheering "YAY! We Love Abortion!" Besides the idiocy of that kind of remark (very few people, even those who regularly procure abortions, "love" it), I was so sad for their sakes, and angry for the women they know. Many women only have abortions because they are pressured into it by their boyfriends or family. These young men, who let us hope have never actually pressured their girlfriends in any way, represent a dangerous and oppressive view towards women. And yet it is the common view.

Similarly, Robert McCartney of the Washington Post wrote about what he saw at the March For Life last month in his weekly column for the Washington Post:

I went to the March for Life rally Friday on the Mall expecting to write about its irrelevance. Isn't it quaint, I thought, that these abortion protesters show up each year on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, even though the decision still stands after 37 years. ...How wrong I was. The antiabortion movement feels it's gaining strength, even if it's not yet ready to predict ultimate triumph, and Roe supporters (including me) are justifiably nervous.

---
Another Pro-life link that I found very powerful:


This was made by a team in Atlanta. HT: Danielle Bean

---
All these moments and thoughts and ramblings are leading me to this point: We MUST take on the fight to save the lives of these children. Innocent life lost is always a tragedy, but has the world ever seen a massacre of these numbers--and they have no voice to protest.

We also must not loose hope. Though the tragedy continues every day, those souls are also loved by God. What's more: the victory is already won--Christ has already taken on all this pain, sinfulness and suffering, and redeemed it through his cross.

Won't you join us in this fight? With over 160 cities in the US participating, I hope you might be able to join us in this campaign. If you can't, then please: Pray with us. Prayers are needed most of all! And lent--the time we meditate on the ravages of sin and the power of grace--is the perfect time to focus out efforts and work for an end to Abortion.