Living Pro-life

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you [. . .]" Jeremiah 1:5

This little post is dedicated to a dear friend who will be moving to Houston as she prepares to marry the man of her dreams, the one and only Jaime! :) Maria is one of the most incredible people I have ever come across. She has been working endlessly for the pro-life moment since she was 14 yrs old so this is just a little thank you for the amazing heart she has shared with us all these years! :) 

Maria,

Dallas has been so truly blessed to have you as a warrior for life all of these years!! You have taught us all so much about celebrating life and it brings me great joy to know that you will continue to proclaim this celebration in the beautiful expression of your marriage to Jaime!!

It was very moving to see you two praying in the chapel this past weekend. Such intimacy is perhaps one of the most beautiful images of peace as it is a perfect example of putting before God all that is on one’s heart. Seeing you there it became clear why you have been able to bring so many people closer to Christ all of these years.

It is in this peace, in prayer, that we are able to recognize life as a sacred reality which is undoubtedly entrusted to us all and in turn reaches its perfection in love.  JPII said that this “Gospel of life” has a profound and persuasive echo in the heart of “every person-believer and non-believer alike- because it marvelously fulfills all the heart’s expectations while infinitely surpassing them.”

Such a proclamation reveals that being created in the image of God, the gospel of God’s love for man, the Gospel of the dignity of the person, and the Gospel of life are a single and indivisible Gospel. This is the Gospel at the heart of Jesus' message, lovingly received day after day by the Church, and preached with dauntless fidelity as "good news" to the people of every age and culture.

The tragedy of abortion is that through perpetuating a culture where human life is being overlooked, society is losing sight of this Gospel. "Without the Creator the creature would disappear ... But when God is forgotten the creature itself grows unintelligible"(Gaudium et Spes, 36). It is in this distancing where people lose sight of their irreducible value and worth.  Seen apart from God, human life is reduced to a thing (a string of events) completely void of its sacred character which perpetuates one’s ability to experience one’s self as loved and in return extend such a love.

The world is yearning for people who are unconditionally pro-life: who will proclaim, celebrate and serve the Gospel in every situation. It is so evident that you live your life by this Gospel and I think that perhaps that is where you find your greatest courage.

Thank you for your example and continued mission to bring the living Gospel into each of our lives!!

We will be praying for you and Jaime as you prepare to start this new adventure in your lives!!

May peace always be with you,

Teresa :) 

PS. You are not an honorary Mexican, you are a complete and absolute Mexican!! How could we possibly encounter you without experiencing all of the beautiful defining characterstics of our Mexican heritage!! Te quiero mi hermana!!! ;)

The following is a little collection of prayers from my favorite authors and a journal entry that I wrote some time back. I continue to pray these when I go to the clinics and know that I will forever remember your encouragement, Maria, when I go to pray! 

I.                    WITH FAITH

Faith reaches beyond what the eyes can see and assures us that You are present.

Grant, O Lord, that our faith in You may strengthen our ability to recognize the dignity of every human life.

In a day when so many have forgotten these children within the womb, grant that we may grow all the more aware of their dignity and worth.

Little one, I am praying for you. May a ray from Our Lord’s heart reach your mother’s heart so that she may be made fully aware of your tiny presence and experience the beauty of its miracle.

II.                  ETERNAL FATHER

Eternal Father, You have revealed Yourself as the Father of all Life. We praise You for the Fatherly care which You extend to all creation, and especially to us, made in Your image and likeness.

Little one, being made in the image of God, I pray that your mother remembers this image in herself. The power of sin distorts this image in such a way that we often begin to see ourselves as unworthy of being loved. May she see the power of love which is far greater than death and holds the complete ability to reclaim the peace and clarity needed to see ourselves as someone worthy and truly beautiful.

III.                JESUS CHRIST

Heavenly Father, I embrace your grace this day,

So that I might not:

Think or speak to another

Without first looking for

You in the other.

God Incarnate, teach us the meaning of Your love for us, a love that brought You to the cross to give your life so we might live. Rid our world of the sin of abortion, which divides parents from their own children, from one another, from their very selves, and from You, O Lord.

Little one, I am here with you and your mother. I come to you with the reverence that I come to the foot of the cross. May your mother come to know that no cross has been given to us that is too heavy to bear through Christ. 

IV.                HOLY SPIRIT

Holy Spirit, You are the promised Spirit of Truth, constantly revealing the splendor of truth to Your people, and leading us deeper into the Mysteries of our Faith.

Come, O Holy Spirit, and as You immerse us in Your truth, so make us effective witnesses of that truth within our families, among our friends, and to all the world.

Little one, you are already teaching us so much.  Because of you I have the courage of bringing Christ to the public on this day. May the Spirit of Truth surround your most precious body so that your witness in this world helps sanctify and bring light to the many dark corners of our world.

V.                  OUR BLESSED MOTHER

O bright dawn, Mother of the unborn,

All life we entrust to you;

The life of every expectant mother

And the child within her womb:

You held the Lord to your own heart

And drew Him so close in.

So draw us now in all our needs,

Teach us to live our own lives with the same

Burning charity and the precious gift of final perseverance.

May they say with you, “Be done unto me according to your word.”

Thus, Most Holy Mother, with the peace of God in our conscience, with our hearts free from evil and hatred, we will be able to bring to all true joy and true peace, which come to us from your son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who with God the Father and the Holy Spirit, lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen.

Little one, you are a treasure which was knit in your mother’s womb and sculpted by your Father’s hands. I pray with you. I pray for your heart and for the heart of your mother. May the gift of motherhood find its pulse in these two hearts which have been united in God’s knowing design. Lord obtain for us the grace to witness the fullness of this gift we are given today- That in choosing life the two hearts may experience perfection in Your love. If the decision is made to not choose life, know that I was here for you today, little one. Know that I will continue to pray for your mother so that healing may occur and that one day she will experience the joy of celebrating life in reconciliation with God. This gift of motherhood will continue to live even if one body were to perish today. May this motherhood, allow your mother to feel Christ so near- like our Mother Mary- where she will conquer all fear and experience herself as completely loved and fully alive because of your beautiful presence. 

Photos I've taken that remind me of you! :) 

Maria's amazing service to life!! :) 

Best couple goes to Maria & Jaime!!! hahaha  ;)