"Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother...you yourself a sword will pierce so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." Luke 2:35 (full readings)
Rosemary's Reflections: At the start of a race, the runners gather at the starting line to make one mass crowd. They chose to be part of something that can make them stronger physically and spiritually. This is how I describe the annual March for Life in Washington, DC. I had seen pictures of the hundreds of thousands of people with signs about defending life and reversing Roe vs. Wade, but I didn't fully appreciate the magnitude of this event until I joined the mass crowd for life on 24 Jan. It was amazing to see men, women, and children all walking towards the Supreme Court building for the same reason—to defend the sanctity of life. The street was packed with >400,000 people, and I couldn’t see the beginning or end of the line (1 min timelapse). While walking by the Capitol building, I saw a group carrying a statue of Mary, the Virgin Mother. Mary was a young girl herself when she chose to carry our Lord in her womb. The prophecy in today's verse, a sword piercing Mary's heart, came true when she witnessed her son, Jesus Christ, die on the cross for us. The day after the March, our group visited the Holocaust Museum. As I walked through the children’s section, I couldn’t help but see how abortion is like the Holocaust. God's children then and now were killed because they didn’t fit into someone’s plans. The museum has a section about those that worked to save Jews. That is how I see those who March for Life, working against a “culture of death” and promoting a culture for life. When I came back home, someone asked if the March would ever make a difference. This made me think about those people who helped save Jews. What would have happened if they thought what they did wouldn’t make a difference? How many more lives would have been lost? So I remain hopeful that even if only one life was spared because of the March, it was worth it. I pray for the year the Roe vs. Wade is reversed, and the March for Life turns into the Victory Lap for Life...and abortion is no more! Today's image is Derartu Tulu and Elena Meyer at the 1992 Olympics, taking a victory lap that symbolically celebrated an end to apartheid on the track (abortion is truly a civil rights issue for the Unborn).
* Rosemary Bernth is a LIFE Runner who lives in Sioux City, IA and works as a journalist for the Diocese of Sioux City’s newspaper "The Catholic Globe."
Faith Challenge: Spiritually adopt an unborn child and ask our Blessed Mother to pray that his/her parents choose life.
* Some March for Life fun facts and a few thoughts on media blackouts: "In the history of Mall demonstrations, very few have come close to the size of crowds that attended this year."
Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on our website. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, running, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
Feast Day: Presentation of the Lord
Faith Quote: “You know well enough that Our Lord does not look so much at the greatness of our actions, nor even at their difficulty, but at the love with which we do them.” ~ St. Therese the Little Flower
Through Christ our Lord,
* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (23% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa
* Evangelize:Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.
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