Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 6: March 21 - For Legislators #EVN2016

Welcome prolife prayer warriors!

As we recall the gift of the great encyclical from Pope John Paul II - Evangelium Vitae - let us call to mind the great need our world has for prayer.

The spilling of innocent blood through abortion and other atrocities against humanity can only be reparated by the pure and Precious Blood of Jesus Christ. With this Novena we contribute our own small effort by petitioning God for the healing of our culture of the following ills.

Contraception * Abortion * Euthanasia * Exploitation (embryonic stem cells, cloning, etc.) * Sex trafficking * Legislators * Clergy * Laity * Chastity

Welcome to Day 6 of our Evangelium Vitae Novena! Please join us in praying for today's intention: an end to the contraceptive mentality which has brought so much chaos into the world. And please remember to pray the daily prayer. God bless you all.

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Daily prayer: Pope Saint John Paul II's Prayer to our Lady.

O Mary
bright dawn of the new world,
Mother of the living,
to you do we entrust the cause
Look down, O Mother,
upon the vast numbers
of babies not allowed to be born,
of the poor whose lives are made difficult,
of men and women
who are victims of brutal violence,
of the elderly and the sick killed
by indifference or out of misguided mercy.
Grant that all who believe in your Son
may proclaim the Gospel of Life
with honesty and love
to the people of our time.
Obtain for them the grace
to accept that Gospel
as a gift ever new,
the joy of celebrating it with gratitude
throughout their lives
and the courage to bear witness to it
resolutely, in order to build,
together with all people of good will,
the civilisation of truth and love,
to the praise and glory of God,
the Creator and lover of life.

Day 6: March 21, 2016 - For Legislators

In the encyclical Pacem in Terris, John XXIII pointed out that “it is generally accepted today that the common good is best safeguarded when personal rights and duties are guaranteed. The chief concern of civil authorities must therefore be to ensure that these rights are        recognized, respected, coordinated, defended and promoted, and that each individual is      enabled to perform his duties more easily.  EV 71.

Heavenly Father, many today are disillusioned by legislators whose promises come to little once they gain a position of power. Please grant fortitude to legislators that they may maintain their convictions once elected, and the wisdom to speak the truth in love to uphold your              unchanging laws. Grant them the extraordinary grace to begin to reverse laws which fail to protect the basic right to life of unborn children, the disabled and the elderly.  AMEN

Please share this effort with your family and friends and continue to work toward the hopeful goal of a world that respects all life - from fertilization to natural death. 

Remember to us hashtag #EVN2016 when using Twitter.

You may also join the Evangelium Vitae Novena Facebook event  for daily reminders and the opportunity for interaction with like-minded prolife advocates.

If you'd like a bit of history behind the struggle for the respect of life, check out my column at Catholic Stand.

You can also find the daily meditation graphics for sharing on Facebook on the Designs by Birgit fan page. 

In His Name for Life, BirgitJ

Where are the Prolife Heroes?

Gruesome videos have come to light. They prove that the unconscionable acts of Planned Parenthood (PP) go far beyond limits the public perceived – only the straightforward killing of babies by abortion. PP isn’t just killing babies and harvesting their parts; they are birthing intact babies for ‘better’ experimental specimens. Why isn’t the American public more aware? Many, maybe the majority, still don’t know the facts. Perhaps that explains the lack of mass public outrage.

The News Matters

If you are in the prolife trenches you may be asking yourself, how can this be? Regrettably there’s a simple answer: because those who make the news don’t want us to know. That the main stream media tilts drastically to the left is irrefutable, but another heart-rending fact is that they aren’t in the news business alone. Our legislators, church leaders, and celebrity personalities have the power to make news as well.

Yet we don’t see much commentary going on. There are no mainstream press releases or press conferences on the subject. Our legislators and presidential candidates are strangely silent, unless they are asked a direct question. When they do give a pittance, their responses are buried in the hysterical pages of pro-abortion publications, where we hear a screed by delusional pro-abortion activists. They concentrate on reporting imagined threats (by prolifers) to end ‘women’s’ rights.

Animals over Humans

Contrast this media blackout to the killing of Cecil – a single African lion. We’ve all heard, ad nauseam, about Cecil, his mates, and his offspring as well as the male lion who will most likely take his place in the pride. Each story is accompanied by photos of a picture perfect specimen of lionhood, his ferocious, flesh-eating nature carefully concealed. After all, he’s just a big, fuzzy, powerful cat, right?

The puzzlement of the affected African people is also carefully concealed. They ask, “What’s the big deal about one lion? Don’t the Americans know that another lion gone is one less threat to our very lives?” It seems they recognize the twisted sense of primacy.

Don’t misunderstand; I’m not arguing for big game hunting, just wondering at the skewed sense of value – one lion over tens of millions of babies.

The same tactic is used for the animal cruelty infomercials that accost us with pitifully staged pet cats and dogs, accompanied by cloying music – all to raise our shame and tug at our hearts. Again, as a lover and owner of pets, I’m not arguing against the obligation we have for their humane care. I do, however, fail to understand the priorities displayed.

The news cycle and commercials are further filled with diatribes from celebrated actors, the rich and famous, and other adulation seekers. There are murmurings of pity and outrage for myriad causes – all except the demise of our littlest brethren – all for the sake of unethical research, product taste testing, and cosmetics. Their fate is not popular. It doesn’t raise the ire of the masses, nor does it inspire repeated marches on cities and outraged interviews.

Even when an effort is made and a half million people attend the annual March for Life in Washington D. C., the public must make the effort to watch the incredible outpouring of support for the unborn on the Catholic cable channel, EWTN. Not a peep is made from news agencies – only silence.

Where are the Pictures?

A picture is worth 1,000 words. We can all agree to that proven public relations fact. Photos

humanize. They give a tangible subject to visualize with empathy and care. That’s why those who deal in garnering sympathy for Cecil or puppy mill products show us the most poignant photos they can find. The human baby, however, receives no such visual aid. They remain as unknown entities, hidden in the darkness of the womb, who have no way to protect themselves and too few heroes.

Where are the heroes for the babies? If our legislators and candidates are truly prolife, why don’t they use their coverage to expose the evil perpetuated by Planned Parenthood and in scientific laboratories all over our country and the world? Why doesn’t every church, cleric, and lay person publish announcements, write letters, and share truth in their words?

Good Things Have Happened

Some developments have given us hope. Prolife advocates across the country have worked tenaciously to keep the prolife momentum going.

• Catholic Stand has published Selling Baby Body Parts: What a Difference a Video Makes, which gives updates of states defunding Planned Parenthood, criminal investigations, and other positive results of the videos exposing the pure evil of Planned Parenthood.

• Colorado State University has halted doing business with StemExpress, over their use of tissue from aborted fetuses.

• Indiana governor, Mike Pence, has signed a bill mandating that aborted babies are either buried or cremated.

• Dr. Stacy Trasancos PhD has also written a powerful piece that gives us insight into the sordid world of fetal experimentation. She exposed that, even before Roe vs. Wade, infant formula companies were already experimenting on living fetuses who were then killed and dissected.

We are the Heroes for the Unborn

As we become painfully aware that the powers that be are distressingly unwilling to take a stand and awaken the public to the truth, it becomes our job. We, the people, are the ones who must take up the gauntlet and battle mightily for the babies. God has given us the ability to inform and persuade. With prayerful consideration we can become the heroes for the unborn by sharing information, praying, and encouraging others to do the same. We must also hold accountable all those who have the public soapbox at their disposal. The power of God’s people lies with their faithful adherence to His Word – His call to go out and do for the least.


"And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send? and who shall go for us? And I said: Lo, here am I, send me." Isaiah 6:8

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 6 - For Legislators

It's been 41 long years since to misbegotten Roe vs. Wade and Doe vs. Bolton decisions gave our country legal permission to kill tens of millions of unborn children. When a false 'right' is instituted while legislators and judges look the other way, it's time for prolife advocates to pray and put their faith into action. Please join us in praying for all those who represent 'we the people', may they have a godly change of heart in favor of our youngest citizens.

Daily prayer: Pope Saint John Paul II's Prayer to our Lady

O Mary

bright dawn of the new world,

Mother of the living,

to you do we entrust the cause

Look down, O Mother,

upon the vast numbers

of babies not allowed to be born,

of the poor whose lives are made difficult,

of men and women

who are victims of brutal violence,

of the elderly and the sick killed

by indifference or out of misguided mercy.

Grant that all who believe in your Son

may proclaim the Gospel of Life

with honesty and love

to the people of our time.

Obtain for them the grace

to accept that Gospel

as a gift ever new,

the joy of celebrating it with gratitude

throughout their lives

and the courage to bear witness to it

resolutely, in order to build,

together with all people of good will,

the civilisation of truth and love,

to the praise and glory of God,

the Creator and lover of life.

Day 6: March 21 - For Legislators.

In the encyclical Pacem in Terris, John XXIII pointed out that " it is generally accepted today that the common good is best safeguarded when personal rights and duties are guaranteed. The chief concern of civil authorities must therefore be to ensure that these rights are recognized, respected, coordinated, defended and promoted, and that each individual is enabled to perform his duties more easily. EV 71.

Heavenly Father, many today are disillusioned by legislators whose promises come to little once they gain a position of power. Please grant fortitude to legislators that they may maintain their convictions once elected, and the wisdom speak the truth in love to uphold your unchanging laws. Grant them the extraordinary grace to begin to reverse laws which fail to protect the basic right to life of unborn children, the disabled and the elderly. AMEN!

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Evangelium Vitae Meditations:

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 1 - Contraception

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 1 - Contraception

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 2 - Abortion

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 3 - Euthanasia of the Elderly and Disabled

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 4 - Commodification of Unborn Children and Mothers

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 5 - Sex Industry

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 6 - Legislators

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 7 - ClergyEvangelium Vitae Novena Day 8 - Laity

Evangelium Vitae Novena Day 9 - Chastity

Evangelium Vitae Novena 20th Anniversary - Closing Prayer