I went out on the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. It was pouring, nasty out and the clinic was even closed. But, I felt the need to go out and pray. I have committed to praying the Rosary everyday during Lent, so this is typically how I fill my hour. Each decade, I have a different prayer intention and then I recite the Hail Mary's, Our Father, Glory Be and so on.
There is something about Mary that just amazes me. Reflecting on the Hail Mary really got me thinking. Read the words if you have never heard the prayer before.
Hail Mary, Full of Grace, Our Lord is with Thy
Blessed are thou among women and
Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, Pray for Us sinners
Now and at the Hour of our Death.
And it just got me thinking that...God chose a woman...a human....to bear HIS SON...and bring himself into this world. God chose to come into this world as He made all His creation enter the world...through their Mother. But He did not choose any woman. He chose Mary, a young, unwed, virgin, woman. He trusted her with the gift His Son, to carry Him, deliver Him and raise Him. How relatable is she? Yes...she had no sin....not very relatable...but she said Yes to her God and found herself pregnant, unwed, in a world where a woman was stoned to death for such actions....and she still said Yes.
But she put her life and her trust in God's hands, as we all should in hard times. Mary had a choice...she could have said no. But she said Yes and trusted.
Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb
Yesterday, I went to pray with my friend Katie and her mom. We spent about an hour out in front of Planned Parenthood. And let me tell you...it is so worth it. It was probably my 4th time out praying throughout the week....most of the time it is silent prayer...there are some honks, some waves, some cursing, some laughing....but in my heart of hearts...I know all the prayers....being said around the world during these 40 days....are making a difference. As we were packing up to go, a gentlemen walks up to us. I thought he was coming to pray with us and so we invited him to pray. But he wasn't there to pray.
He said to us, "I paid for an abortion 30 years ago...and I want to thank you all for standing out here and praying." WOW! My heart just went out to him because you could hear the pain in his words...in saying them aloud. You could tell that even 30 years later...he was still troubled by the decision him and his girlfriend made to end their child's life. We all went on talking, listening and he just thanked us for standing there...reassuring us that is not going unnoticed. He wondered if someone was standing outside praying the day he had an abortion, if they might have changed their minds. We discussed how loving and forgiving Our God is...he said he knew he was forgiven...but the hurt never goes away.
I told him..."Well you have an angel in heaven!" and he said that he believes his child is with him always...right there beside him in his truck. I feel very similar about Oliver. Although our children left this world differently, they are both angels in heaven and with us always!
Blessed is the Fruit of Your Womb
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