In Focus:

Always loving, never forgetting and staying faithful

Dear Friend for Life

Today I have good news!  Another mother turned away from the doors of AMAC yesterday!  That is the second one in Auckland that we are aware of during this 40 Days for Life vigil!  So far, there have been 276 lives saved throughout all the vigil sites participating in this vigil.  Thanks be to God!

We also know that many great things are happening in people's hearts in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.  God has promised us that He hears our prayers.  We should not worry or be concerned about what does or does not happen.  He has it under control and knows who is in most need of our prayers at any given time.  Thank you for your continued support and faithfulness to praying for an end to abortion and for a renewal of a culture of life in New Zealand!

Part of the first reading from daily Mass today reads "Does a woman forget her baby at the breast, or fail to cherish the son of her womb?  Yet even if these forget, I will never forget you." (Isaiah 49:15)

Sadly today, women do fail to cherish the child within their womb, oftentimes buying the lie that to be fully free they must reject their child.  The false rhetoric of "my body my choice" still pervades today, despite all scientific evidence to the contrary.  It amazes me that even today young women will spit out that the unborn child is nothing more than a "blob of tissue".  That very "conversation" (I use the term loosely) took place just last week outside AMAC between myself and some of the pro-abortion protestors.  Yet how can one fail to see the humanity of the unborn child when faced with the truth?  I showed the protestors a beautiful image of a 10-week-old preborn baby, still within its amniotic sac, clearly a human being with fingers and toes, heart visible under the tender transparent skin.  They did not want to look, because they did not want to see the truth.  Women have been told a lie, that they can not embrace their femininity, that they cannot embrace motherhood, that their choices are only about them.  The result is brokenness and a crass shell of womanhood.

While too many women do fail to cherish their precious preborn children, God never does.  And neither should we.  Our love may be the only love these children will ever know on this earth.  We also love the mothers, who are facing a time of great need for love, for support, for friendship and for hope.  We love those who promote abortion and those who work within abortion facilities.  We love the abortionist.

It is this love, steeped in a desire to really imitate Christ, to be a light in the world and a beacon of hope, which softens hearts and removes the scales from people's eyes.  Yet to love in this way requires our own conversion, our own desire to bend our will to God's.  This can be painful.  It certainly means stepping outside of our comfort zones, and it requires humility.

May God grant each of us the grace to have the scales removed from our eyes so that we too can humbly serve with great love and to truly be a light to those in darkness.

The team is very blessed to have Father Linus Clovis with us until the end of April!  Father has recently been giving talks throughout the Philippines with our friend Jamie Leornas who runs Family Life International there.  I hope to bring you more about his trip to the Philippines next time.  While in New Zealand Father Clovis will give talks in Auckland, including at the Eucharistic Convention.

Finally, the end of this 40 Days for Life is quickly approaching!  Just over a week ago we had our midpoint events in Auckland and Wellington.  Approximately 170 people attended the candlelight vigil in Auckland - despite the rain!  Wellington also had an excellent turn out for their event!  It has been fantastic to see so many people participate!  Let's keep up the committment to keep a peaceful, prayerful presence outside Auckland's AMAC, Wellington Regional Hospital and Christchurch Hospital.  Your presence matters!  Lives are being saved!

Please keep the following times free on Sunday 20th March (Palm Sunday):
Auckland: Stay With Me Candlelight Vigil, 7:30pm to 8:30pm outside AMAC 283-289 Dominion Road, Mt Eden
Wellington: 3:30pm outside Wellington Hospital, Riddiford Street, Newtown
Scroll down to see further information about these events.

To sign up and find out more information about 40 Days for Life please visit our website.
 

Thank you for your continued prayers and support of Family Life International.  Please be assured of our prayers for you and your family.