The 40 Days for Life campaign has begun once again. This peaceful campaign of prayer, fasting, and community outreach held outside abortion facilities works not to protest but to pray. Our witness reminds every passerby, even if only subconsciously, that life is sacred and worthy of protection.
During this past spring campaign, I joined a friend for the 11 PM to12 AM shift down on Auburn Avenue. The darkness of that hour brings with it a silence that’s hard to describe. There we were, two ordinary people, alone on the sidewalk praying the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary under dim streetlight. Each night varied in its experience. Some nights were warm and all was peacefully quiet. I was able to pray with a sense of calm and hope, knowing that through Christ the war is won. Other nights though, I felt as if I had never been colder in my life. I shivered in real pain, having not brought the proper attire because it wasn’t supposed to get that cold that night. It was on those nights that prayer became more difficult. It reminded me of Dante’s description of hell, a place of ice and darkness, separated completely from the warmth and light of God. Though difficult, I always persevered in my prayer, offering my little sufferings up for the sake of the children and mothers who would enter this terrible place.
These lonely nights reminded me that this work can be difficult, but it is vitally important. Had I given up on those nights, not only would my prayers have been lost to the treasury of grace being poured out there, but so too would my witness. For each night, whether in a big or small way, I always seemed to have some small interaction with passersby on the street. Most of them just casually glossed by without a word or look, but sometimes people would stop and ask what we were doing.
I remember on one such occasion talking to a young man who was walking his dog. He lived in the apartments just across the street. He said he noticed people outside the clinic the past few weeks and he finally got up the courage to approach us this night to ask what we were doing. We explained that we were praying for an end to abortion in this location. His response was one of joy, he agreed that abortion was evil, and he was glad people were working to stop it. We spoke a little more and discovered that he was a Christian, but one still searching for deeper fulfillment. It was, of course, at this time we began to speak with him about our Catholic faith. We shared a beautiful conversation about his journey of faith, planting seeds of grace in his heart.
This illuminates so clearly how important our presence is on that sidewalk, not only for the sake of ending abortion, but also for the work of evangelization. Our prayerful witness stands as a testimony to this fallen world, one that proclaims a God of life and of eternal salvation.
This fall, we encourage you to join this 40 Days campaign, we especially need DAYTON vigil participants. If you’ve never come before, now is the time. If you’ve come in the past, bring someone new. Sign up for a shift. Become a day captain. Offer a sacrifice. Pray a daily Rosary. Do something.
Visit www.40daysforlife.com to find a local vigil site and sign up. The gates of hell will not prevail—but only if we show up to stand before them.