Dear Irish friends in Christ : Will you pray with us for the vigil for all nascent human life in 2018 ?
“I feel the greatest destroyer of peace today is a direct killing of the innocent child. And if we can accept that a mother can kill even her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?” Ste Mother Teresa
These words may sound shocking. Their aim however is to promote action for peace! In the speech she gave when she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in December 1979, Blessed Mother Teresa did not hesitate to make us reflect on this human disaster. So how can we take action?Let us recall Mother Teresa’s sound advice: “The more we receive in our silent prayer, the more we can give in our active life.”
If we want to be active to protect life, then let us start by praying!
In France, every year, a group of Catholic volunteers invites dioceses and Christian communities to take up Pope Benedict XVI’s initiative of organising a prayer vigil for all human nascent life on the eve of Advent. This movement began five years ago and has since gained strength!
This year, we would like to invite you to join us !
70% said YES…
Why won’t you create 70 vigils for life at the beguining of advent 2018, everywhere in Ireland as a testimony of the renewal of culture of life ?
“A great prayer for life that travels the world is an emergency.” St. John Paul II, in Evangelium Vitae No. 100
As a bonus, we received an apostolic blessing from Pope Francis encourages us to persevere in this mission of service for the Gospel of Life in 2013 and 2017 :
“In this time of Advent when the Church is keeping watch and praying in the loving wait of the coming of the Lord and is turning its gaze full of hope to the manger in Bethlehem, the Holy Father encourages you to persevere in prayer.”This blessing from the Holy Father echoes St John Paul II’s call in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae: “What is urgently called for is a general mobilization of consciences and a united ethical effort to activate a great campaign in support of life.” He also stressed that “We need to begin with the renewal of a culture of life within Christian communities themselves.” (EV 95). Moreover, He ask us for a great prayer for life all around the world…
Cardinal Sarah, Cardinal Barbarin and numerous other bishops and leaders of religious communities also support this initiative. The objective is to unify and follow this desire to give back to the culture of Life its rightful place, around and in communion with the bishop of each diocese.This prayer vigil invites us above all else to turn to Christ. In St John’s gospel, Christ tells us: “Remain in my love.” He then draws a comparison:
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.”
We are warned that we will not bear fruit unless we are connected to the Vine, that is, faithful to ourone-to-one relationship in prayer with Christ. So this verse makes us aware of the strength of prayer which will help us take action to better welcome and protect life.
In France, a renewal of a culture of life is taking place thanks to the lay faithful who have committed to creating their own prayer vigil with the support of their parish priests. As the date of Advent 2018 approaches, on Saturday, December 1st 2018, why wouldn’t you join in our movement and organise a prayer vigil in your own parish?
1) Prayer vigils
Our system is simple. We communicate via a blog: www.veilleespourlavie.org which gives essential focus to the actions related to the prayer vigils undertaken nationally by making available documents of training, archives, posters, the map of places where prayer vigils will take place and a list of welcome and support centres for women in distress. You can contact the national organisers via their email address contact@veilleespourlavie.org on which they receive all the information related to the prayer vigils for life organised all over the country.
As in 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 a poster competition will be organised in early October. The sponsors are musicians, writers and artists (Glorious, Edouard and Mathilde Cortès, the Dei Amoris Cantores, the band Hopen and Laudate medal of baptem creator…) who will offer signed copies of their CDs, DVDs and books…
2) Social and charitable action
To go further, in 2017 we will be launching donation to support center which welcom women in destress ! The concept is simple: we collect fund for the benefit of the welcome centres for mothers in distress which we support: Magnificat – Accueillir la vie in Ligueil, Naisssance – Vie in Bayonne, Les maisons de Marthe et Marie in Paris, Lyon, Nantes, etc
3) So, don’t settle for little. Aim big:
1) Answer the Popes’ calls and set up your own prayer vigils in your parishes with the support of your parish priests
2) Take action from now on in society to better welcome and protect all nascent human life by creating similar projects like collect of funds for life which will help finance welcome centres for mothers in distress in your own country.
“You are called to stand up for life! […] To work and pray against abortion, against violence of all kinds, including the violence done against women’s and children’s dignity through pornography. […]
Stand up for marriage and family life!
Stand up for purity!
Resist the pressures and temptations of a world that too often tries to ignore a most fundamental truth: that every life is a gift from God our Creator, and that we must give an account to God of how we use it either for good or evil.”
St John Paul II, young people’s mass in Central Park, October 7th 1995.
