Prayer – personal and community
January 25, 2019
Zion celebrates 39 years of ministry
January 25, 2019
As we settle into 2019, some of us may have already begun to forget the resolutions we made at the turn of the year. But, take heart, EVERY day is a new day, and as St Paul tells us in Philippians 3: “Forgetting those things which are behind…I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
Fr Frank Pavone, National Director of the US-based Priests for Life, made some recommendations for promoting the cause of life throughout this year. Here are a few of them.
The first is to PRAY EVERY DAY for an end to abortion. Fr Pavone reminds us that prayer is the foundation of all that we do in the Christian life. According to St Ignatius of Loyola, “Pray as if everything depends on God; work as if everything depends on you.”
We may pray using our own words, but we can also access special prayers and rosaries, as well as novenas that coincide with particular seasons of the year online and in our favourite religious bookshop.
Another recommendation is to READ at least one good book (from cover to cover) on abortion. Pope Paul VI’s Humanae Vitae (1968) and Pope John Paul II’s Evangelium Vitae (1995) are timeless documents that expound the Church’s position on these matters.
Ramona Trevino’s Redeemed by Grace (2013) tells the story of one woman’s journey out of the abortion industry, while Fr Frank’s Abolishing Abortion (2015) provides useful insights into supplanting the culture of death.
A third recommendation is to READ and SPREAD the TESTIMONIES of those who have had abortions, as testimonies are powerful and persuasive instruments in the abortion debate.
Sheila Harper’s Save One (2015) journals the experiences of one woman who chose abortion, and could provide healing for others who made the same decision. Other testimonies can be found at www.AbortionTestimonies.com, organised by the US-based Silent No More Awareness Campaign.
An important step to take is to GET TO KNOW those organisations, groups and agencies that can provide help for those who need alternatives to abortion. Fr Frank suggests that you visit them and find out what services they provide, so you can share information on the help that is available. (See the contact information for the Emmanuel Community at the end of this article.)
In addition, you should CONNECT on social media with a pro-life group or organisation and subscribe to their newsletters to keep up to date on these matters. LifeSiteNews.com and fridayfax@c-fam.org are invaluable sources of information.
Fr Frank also recommends that you PARTICIPATE in some form of public witness against abortion, as our convictions on abortion cannot remain private. By such participation, he says, you will realise that you are not alone, and you will be strengthened in your commitment. Participation in processions, marches and prayer vigils or protests at known abortion providers are examples that spring to mind.
And finally, you should DONATE regularly to a pro-life group. Our positive response to this last recommendation is critical for the work of all those groups involved in pro-life ministry and advocacy!
A monthly column by the Emmanuel Community: 46 Rosalino Street, Woodbrook.Tel:628-1064;emmancommtt@gmail.com
