Sidewalk Reflections

Across the street from the vigil site, a lady, who was unable to be out in the cold due to illness, sat in her car praying.  She was inspired to learn that there have been several thousand (over 4,000!) who have already come to pray (and are still coming).  She later shared:

"As I drove up, I felt such a sense of peace ... it must be all those prayers."

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Another person reflected about her first time to pray at the vigil site -- a quiet moment with her own thoughts:

"This is humbling standing out here on the sidewalk, and I thought to myself, 'What if someone I know sees me out here? What will they think about me?' Then I realized, 'So what. This isn't about me!  I'm here to pray and this is not about me."

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With tears in her eyes, one of the "regulars" who comes often to pray at the vigil site commented on the steadfast attendance of priests, clergy and other religious who have become our "sidewalk shepherds": 

"There are people when they see a priest praying out here, slow their cars down and make the sign of the Cross."

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A young woman stopped with joyful tears streaming down her face and said:

 "I saw people praying ..."

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A man passed by those standing outside the late-term abortion facility, slowed his car down to a crawl, turned his lights on as one would do in a funeral procession and turned his palm upwards.

He was praying.

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Late one evening, before one group started to pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the leader suggested:

"Let's pray for all those contemplating, participating in, suffering from or affected in some way by abortion. I guess that's the whole world,  isn't it?"

 

Yes, it is.

Abortions in the United States since January 22, 1973: over 52.5 million

Worldwide number of abortions per year: approximately 42 Million*

* as reported by the Guttmacher Institute,
the former research arm of Planned Parenthood

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"If my people, who are called by My Name,

will humble themselves and pray

and seek My Face and turn from their wicked ways,

then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin

and will heal their land."

2 Chronicles 7:14