| Dear Friend of Life,
We invite you to join with Priests for Life in a "Lenten Prayer for Life." This is part of our year-long prayer campaign (www.PrayerCampaign.org) through which we help people pray with the Church by praying for a Culture of Life in a way that reflects the themes of the various liturgical seasons and feasts. Lent, of course, is a season of repentance, which leads to life. We reject the devil's false and empty promises, including abortion.
You can find the brief Lenten prayer at www.priestsforlife.org/novenas/lent.aspx. On that page you can also order prayer cards - free of charge - that contain the Lenten prayer and helpful resources for pro-life activity. We are supplying them for parishes to hand out to their congregations in whatever quantity they want. But hurry, supply is limited! Please let others know about this special offer!
Also, please join me along with Tom Peters of Catholic Vote Action and other special guests, for an important election-related conference call on Thursday evening, February 25, from 9 to 10pm ET. This will be part of our "Vote Pro-life" Coalition, and we will continue to gear up for the elections of 2010. You will be able to listen to the call either by phone or by internet. Sign up at www.priestsforlife.org/conferencecall/index.aspx.
You can see this week's media schedule after my column below.
Blessings, Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director
Praise for our work
"Father Pavone has served the cause of human dignity with extraordinary dedication for years. His new book Prolife Reflections for Every Day is a beautiful and rewarding way to remind ourselves of the sanctity of life on a daily basis. I highly recommend it. A copy should be in every Catholic home - and well used by all." - Most Reverend Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap., Archbishop of Denver
The Beatitudes: A Call to Be Pro-life - Part 1
In Matthew 5:3-12 we read the Beatitudes, which give a blueprint for Christian spirituality and therefore for the spirituality of being pro-life. In this and following columns, let's reflect on how each beatitude illumines and strengthens our pro-life commitment.
"Blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of heaven is theirs." When the Lord speaks about the poor in spirit, he is speaking about those for whom there is no help or hope but God Himself. God is the only hope for any of us. But when we have a lot of possessions, friends, and earthly protection, we are tempted to think that those are the things on which our spirits can ultimately rely. But that is an illusion. "Only in God be at rest, my soul; from him comes my help and salvation" (Psalm 62:1). Today, nobody is more unsafe and unprotected than the child in the womb. Their plight makes even God ask, "Can a mother forsake her child?" (Isaiah 49:15) Yet the psalmist declares, "Though father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me" (Psalm 27:10). The unborn are the poorest of the poor, and God calls us to acknowledge and bless them.
"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted." We are blessed, indeed, if we mourn over our sins, and over the evils in the world, like the daily killing of children by abortion. When is the last time we shed tears over the shedding of blood, and wept for the lives of these babies killed and moms and dads wounded? Let us pray for the gift of those tears!
Let us ask the Lord to give us a broken heart over abortion. That's where pro-life activism begins, because when our hearts are broken, they are humble. They are also open to the grace God wants to give us to do our part in ending this evil. And he will also give us comfort, as he brings justice to the earth.
"Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth." The meek person knows that God is the source of all he needs. Although he develops his human skills and asserts himself as necessary, the Lord's servant never believes he has to hurt another to get what he needs. The meek are strong and secure in their dependence on God. They will have a healthy ability to fight for their rights, but will not do so with an anxious need to dominate. In the Lord, they know they will inherit the earth.
The Culture of Death, on the contrary, is built on the idea that sometimes you have to do violence to advance your rights, your career, or your freedom. The violence of abortion is seen as a path to fulfillment.
We will continue our reflections on the Beatitudes in the next column. Meanwhile, those who want to nourish their pro-life spirituality with reflections like this for every day of the year can obtain my book Pro-life Reflections for Every Day at http://priestsforlife.org/store.
This column can be found online at www.priestsforlife.org/columns/document.aspx?id=2871
Comments on this column? Go to http://AskFrFrank.com
Fr. Frank's columns are podcast. See http://PriestsForLife.org/Podcast
Esta columna se puede encontrar en la pagina de Internet www.priestsforlife.org/columns/document-sp.aspx?ID=2871
This week's media schedule (http://priestsforlife.org/media)
Hear us on EWTN radio on Catholic Connection with Teresa Tomeo. Fr. Frank Pavone is her guest every Wednesday from 9:35-10am ET and Janet Morana is her guest every Friday from 9:10-9:30am ET. For radio station information and to listen to the live show on the internet, go to http://www.avemariaradio.net.
Fr. Frank Pavone does a monthly pro-life spot from 11:20am-11:30am ET on The Catholic Channel with Adam Hamway on Satellite Radio every second Thursday of the month (this is subject to change - the exact day will be posted on our website each month). The Catholic Channel is on SIRIUS 159 and XM 117.
Defending Life: Watch on EWTN every Friday at 10pm ET and Saturday at 2:30am ET. Listen on EWTN radio every Friday at 1am ET, Saturday at 6:30pm ET and Sunday at 5am ET. For more information or to listen online go to www.ewtn.com.
February 19-21: Are Humans Special?
Gospel of Life: Watch on Catholic Familyland (http://www.familyland.tv) - Sunday at 1am, Monday at 9am, Wednesday at 3:30am and Thursday at 11:30 pm. (All Times Eastern). You can also watch on the National Religious Broadcasters network (NRB), Wednesday at 6pm ET.
This week on Catholic Familyland: Renewing the Pro-Life Movement
This week on NRB: Child Predators
Please tune in and spread the word! In fact, you can help us -- and your whole parish -- by asking your pastor to place in the parish bulletin an announcement about our TV shows. Thanks in advance!
Priests for Life
PO Box 141172
Staten Island, NY 10314
Phone: 718-980-4400
Toll Free: 1-888-735-3448
Fax: 718-980-6515
mail@priestsforlife.org
www.priestsforlife.org If you do not wish to receive any emails from us, let us know at unsubscribe@priestsforlife.org. However, unsubscribing will deprive you of some important and helpful information in the months to come, and therefore we strongly encourage you to stay on our list! |
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