Day 24: An Important Reminder

Prayer

As you may know, 40 Days for Life is a Christian project and unlimited by denominational boundaries. As National Director David Bereit has stated, although we may not see eye-to-eye on all religious matters we can stand arm-in-arm on the sidewalk for the unborn. Today I'd like to clarify some questions that have arisen regarding the inter-denominational aspect of our efforts here in Alexandria.

From its beginning, 40 Days for Life has provided Christians of all denominations an opportunity to work together to save the lives of unborn babies in danger of being killed by abortion and to show the love of Christ to women facing crisis pregnancies. The keystone of our mission is unity of purpose and reliance on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Many parts ... one Body

In order for the prayer vigil to succeed, it is essential that Christians from different churches and traditions work together to accomplish the task that the Lord has given us. This means that we must set aside our differences and endeavor to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).

To that end, please keep the following guidelines in mind whenever you are at a prayer vigil:

1. The vigil is predominately a time of prayer. Do not use the time trying to persuade other participants to your religious or political point of view.
   
2. Be mindful that other volunteers may not share your church’s traditions or forms of worship. If you pray or converse with other volunteers, try to avoid contentious language and practices. For example, whenever Protestants are known to be present, Catholics should direct all spoken common prayers only to God the Father or to Jesus Christ.
   

   

   One God ... One Lord of All!
   

3. Do not find fault with the religious expressions of other vigil participants. For example, if a spoken prayer offends you, quietly move to a different location, out of hearing range.
   
4. If you pray out loud, either individually or as a small group, pray softly so that others who do not share your traditions will be able to move out of hearing range.

Each one of you is vitally important in the fight for life! We appreciate the dedication and commitment of every vigil volunteer. Thank you for reading and for respecting these guidelines as we continue to work together on behalf of the unborn children in our city of Alexandria, VA. 

We Stand Together for Life!

Outreach this Saturday will be led by Jonathan Darnel in Old Town from 1-3pm (St. Patrick's Day!). Meet up at St. Mary's Church (310 Duke Street), and distribute literature and answer questions about our campaign with Alexandria residents and visitors.  For more information contact Paul at paul.40days@gmail.com.

Please remember the vigil calendar for upcoming hours that are still needed. We're up to 294 reports of babies saved in this campaign -- thanks so much for your ongoing prayer and support!

Day 29: Vigil Help Needed

We have only ten days left in our journey of prayer and witness for life, and I invite you to sign up now for one or more of the vigil hours that are still available to help fill our schedule and maintain a solid and continuous prayer presence at the site. As of the latest tally, 13.5 hours as yet remain uncovered, and 60 more need one more person. Surely we can fill these as a team! When are you available to come and pray for the unborn during this last week of our campaign?

Photo: Sherri, Jennifer, Kerri, Jacinta, Kelly, and Nancy
last Sunday at the vigil site. Come on out and join us!

Also, we're gearing up for a fun-tastic door-to-door outreach effort this Saturday, from 9:30am to 4:30pm in the city of Alexandria. Our target literature drop total is 3,000, and we are nearing that goal with confirmed walkers already. Let me know when you can join us!

We are in the midst of the Nine Days of Prayer for Clergy (October 22-30), in which Christians are invited to pray the following prayer, which has been adapted for inter-denominational use. For more information visit www.prayercampaign.org.

Father, you sent your Son Jesus Christ to be our High Priest, and you continue his saving work among us to this day. Bless our clergy and ministers, and give us more of them. Make them holy. Strengthen them to proclaim the Gospel of Life, and to defend the rights of all, especially the unborn. Bring us, your ministers and people, to the life that never ends. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

The early Church Father Irenaeus wrote in Against Heresies, "The Word of God became man, the Son of God became the Son of Man, in order to unite man with himself and make him, by adoption, a son of God." We are adopted children of God through our Christian Baptism. It is up to us, therefore, to act in accordance with that sonship, and, as St. Paul writes, conduct ourselves "in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ... It is your special privilege to take Christ's part -- not only to believe in him but also to suffer for him... Never act out of rivalry or conceit; rather, let all parties think humbly of others as superior to themselves" (Philippians 1:27-2:3).

As we join in prayer with others including those of different Christian denominations, and place ourselves in positions where we may be ridiculed or criticized, let us remember that we are sons and daughters of the Lord, and humbly view all, including friends and those who disagree with us, as truly superior to ourselves. By doing so we lay the path to true peace and charity which is the foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven.