Witness to Life

On Sunday my husband and I watched the final episode of God or the Girl. It was actually very well done and quite favorable of the priesthood – something we definitely need at this time in our Church’s history. In short, they followed four young men who were trying to decide whether or not they wanted to go on to become priests. One young man named Dan, who is both a college student and youth minister (a profession dear to my heart), regularly brings his teens out to pray at a local abortion clinic. Since I grew up with the media making pro-lifers look like less than normal, it was encouraging to see teens out there peacefully praying for moms and their babies. By the end of the show, Dan had decided not to enter the seminary (though he hasn’t totally ruled it out altogether). Six months after making his decision, his youth group had doubled in size which means that his prayer group at the clinic has most likely increased as well. Certainly one can pray to end abortion from her own room or at church, but there is something powerful about actually being at an abortion clinic. It will have a profound impact on one’s attitude about abortion. It creates compassion for the women choosing abortion and it brings to light the fact that real women are having abortions and real babies are dying. I would like to encourage you to consider going to an abortion clinic to pray. Ask a friend to go with you (I don’t recommend going alone). If you’ve been out to the clinic and want to share your experience, please do so. By praying at an abortion clinic, not only will you be a witness to life, but as Pope John Paul the Great says, you will be a “witness to hope.”