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Day 13 - March 1

Intention:

We pray for the strength to love those who do not love us.

Scripture:

But the Lord said "You have had pity on the plant for which you have not labored, nor made it grow, which came up in the night and perished in the night. And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who cannot discern between their right hand and their left, and much livestock? Should I not be concerned about that great city?"

-- Jonah 4:10-11

Reflection:

God doesn't value people and things like we do. Jonah loved a shade tree more than an entire city of sinful people. We love our dogs more than a terrorist. We love our cars more than a beggar on the side of the road. And sometimes, we love our money more than a child growing in a desperate teenager's womb.

But God isn't like us. Genesis 1 tells us that humans were the capstone of God's creation. We were created on the sixth day after God had completed the land, the stars, the plants and the animals. Therefore, His love for us is greater than His love for a plant, an animal, or any other created thing. And the book of Jonah tells us that He loves even the most sinful people and seeks to bring them into His merciful arms. And it's a love that seeks to touch all of his created children: that desperate teenager, the baby growing in her womb, even tyrants and terrorists. So it's up to us to imitate God's merciful love by helping and praying for those who persecute us, and those who don't love us back.

Prayer:

Gracious God, loving our enemies seems like one of most difficult things you could ask of us. Please remind us that this is how you love and that if you ask it of us then you will give us the grace to do it. This we ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Dennis DiMauro
Lutherans for Life representative to the National Pro-life Religious Council

From today’s email:

Whenever talking about babies saved from abortion
through God’s mercy and the prayers of 40 Days for Life
participants, I usually add the words “that we know
of.” After all, we really don’t know how many lives
have been spared in ways that only God will ever know.
We just have to trust Him!

With that in mind, I can tell you that thus far in
this 40 Days for Life campaign ...

... 107 babies have been saved from abortion ...

... that we know of!

We don’t know, for instance, how many abortions were
prevented because the abortion facility was closed
one day last week in Overland Park, Kansas.

“The place was empty,” said Valerie. Apparently,
heating and plumbing problems kept the doors shut
all day. “Praise God for allowing women to have
another chance to think about what they are doing.”

Most of the time, we don’t know how many women change
their minds — and simply don’t show up for their
abortion appointment.

We do, however, know of at least one.

Judy in La Puente, California said a young man
walked up to 40 Days for Life vigil participants to
thank them for being there.

“Because he had seen us outside praying, he had the
courage to convince his girlfriend not to have an
abortion,” she said. “You just never know how many
others never get to the abortion site because of our
presence. Praise God!”

That may be happening in other cities as well. Mary
in Everett, Washington noted that last Monday, the
abortion facility “wasn’t as busy as I remember on
Mondays during the last campaign.”

It’s great news whenever business decreases at the
abortion center!