I'm two weeks late in posting this...but...that's okay. Better late than never, right?
Two weekend's ago was the closing rally for this fall's 40 Days for Life campaign. I wasn't able to attend the actual rally due to other Sunday obligations and responsibilities or maybe I was out of town, but I'm sure it was great.
But see, the funny thing is...I didn't know 40 Days for Life ended two Sunday's ago. And I still went during my scheduled hour to pray at Planned Parenthood during the week. I'm such a bragger and overachiever, I know, lol.
I totally went! I totally drove there! I totally parked! I totally...waited in my car and saw no one standing on the sidewalk. I noticed that the parking lot still had clinic workers' cars parked (I guess they hadn't gone home yet). It was then I decided to go look up the schedule for 40 Days for Life and ... I totally missed the memo on it ending the Sunday previous. D'oh!
I thought about sticking around and perhaps still praying on the sidewalk for an hour. But...after seeing the parking lot still full and seeing random people walking around on other sidewalks nearby...and knowing that I would have no backup, I decided not to stay and pray because I felt the situation would be too dangerous for me. I felt like a cop out, and I maintained that feeling of cop-outedness as I drove home...
BUT! For whatever reason, I thought it would be cool to check out the new Planned Parenthood facility and decided this right before the highway split (between going home and going towards that new location).
15 or so minutes later, I found the new location of the new facility. It's still under construction. And it's definitely bigger than my favorite clinic we have been praying at. :-/ I didn't stick around for too long because ... well...I didn't feel like being shady today.
And after finding it, I drove back home.
Having one week to reflect on my overachievement and two weeks since I last prayed at the clinic for 40 Days for Life, I ask myself...have we accomplished anything?
I'm happy to report that over 600 babies have been saved from this effort! While that may seem low to me, I must remember that each save is worth it! Truly a blessing!
But something keeps sticking out in my mind...
Several weekends ago, I attended a training session to be a sidewalk counselor. And the thing that sticks out to me from that session is what the instructor said regarding 40 Days for Life. He almost...criticized it. He said that it's a good effort but it's dumb in that it's only 40 days (though sometimes twice a year, depending on the campaign/location). And he stressed to us sidewalk counselor hopefuls to know that abortions happen everyday, year-round. And I totally understood that.
Yes, 40 Days for Life is over for now, but the purpose and mission continues!
Last week we had the election. And we all know that the result of that election isn't going to play in our favor. And that's okay. I welcome the challenge. To be honest, no amount of law in the land should prevent us from doing what is right...no amount of law in the land should inhibit us to do what we ought. Human life and dignity are at stake.
Again, I welcome the challenge. With the way things are right now, I think it's important ever so much that I stick to what is truly Catholic and not some pale shadow of that identity. The light of Christ is within me. Soy en fuego con el Espiritu Santo. If I am who God created me to be...well...watch out world--I'm a pyro.
-raises glass- Here's to being pro-life! And I mean that in the Catholic sense--defending all human life and human dignity from conception to natural death.
Challenge accepted.
- JD
My blog post from last year.
