Pinwheels to mark unborn lives at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ewa Beach in 2021. (Photo: Dann Ebina)
CHURCH SOCIAL TIPS
The gift of life comes from the Lord. Our church focuses many activities on respecting the gift of life at all stages in the month of January. At a time when so many lives have been lost in the pandemic it is even more important to pray for life.
As the social media engagement manager for my parish, I always share the U.S Catholic Conference of Bishops’ “9 Days For Life” campaign. The respectlife.org website is chock full of ideas and resources to formulate personal or parish-wide prayer and participation plans.
Here are six things to do for Respect Life Month:
Reflect
The Old Testament book of Deuteronomy 30:19 tells us, “I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live.”
Pray
Turn to the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the unborn, that mothers contemplating abortion would have a conversion of mind, heart and spirit to choose life. Use this prayer from the U.S Catholic Conference of Bishops.
Virgin of Guadalupe,
Patroness of unborn children,
we implore your intercession
for every child at risk of abortion.
Help expectant parents to welcome from God
the priceless gift of their child’s life.
Console parents who have lost that gift
through abortion,
and lead them to forgiveness and healing
through the Divine Mercy of your Son.
Teach us to cherish
and to care for family and friends
until God calls them home.
Help us never to see others as burdens.
Guide our public officials
to defend each and every human life
through just laws.
Inspire us all to bring our faith into public life,
to speak for those who have no voice.
We ask this in the name of your Son,
Jesus Christ, who is Love and Mercy itself.
Amen.
Give
Just as our Lord has given us life, you have also been given gifts of time, talent and treasure. Use them to support life that is threatened in the womb or near the tomb.
Read
Get a hold of the encyclical “Evangelium Vitae,” which outlines the church’s teaching on respecting all aspects of life, or “What to Say When: The complete new guide to discussing abortion” by Shawn Carney and Steve Karlen, available on Amazon.
Join
The Jericho March for Life is a powerful way to gather as the body of Christ using our hands and feet to serve as witnesses of faith in vigils and demonstrations. Get in step with Hawaii’s Jericho March at the state capitol at 2 p.m. Jan. 21.
Follow
There are many social media pages and online portals that are pro-life-themed to follow all year long. 40 Days for Life Honolulu on Facebook, the Diocese of Honolulu’s Respect Life Office webpage, Studentsforlife on Twitter and Instagram.
Respect, protect, love and serve life!
Sherry Hayes-Peirce is a Catholic digital communications consultant based in California.
