Monday, September 29, 2008
FROM THE EMAILBOX
Spirit & Life®
"The words I spoke to you are spirit and life." (Jn 6:63)
Human Life International e-Newsletter
Volume 03, Number 36 | Friday, September 26, 2008
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www.hli.org
St. Michael Prayer Campaign and Ecuador
Fr. Tom Euteneuer
Dear Friends of Life,
On Monday, the Feast of the Archangels, our Prayer Campaign to St. Michael for the conversion of abortionists kicks into full gear. It coincides providentially with the CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM that is happening in ECUADOR on Sunday. As you may remember, this referendum will legalize abortion in this presently abortion-free Catholic country if the people approve the new Constitution. I urge you to pray generous prayers to St. Michael the Archangel that Ecuador will choose life!
In the piece below, my co-worker, Joseph Meaney, explains the whole rationale behind our prayer campaign. Please join us now and in the future for prayers to the Prince of the Heavenly Host, to vanquish the abortion demon and bring conversion to all who perpetrate the crime of abortion on humanity.
St. Michael the Archangel, Defend us in Battle!
By Joseph Meaney
Never have these words been more appropriate than today. We live in a world that refuses to prioritize basic values such as the worship of God and respecting the right to life of our most defenseless neighbors, preborn children.
The Feast of the Archangels, Michael, Raphael and Gabriel, which is celebrated on September 29th, is an excellent opportunity to examine our lives. All the angels, but especially St. Michael, remind us of God's infinite goodness and the spiritual warfare that surrounds us at all times. How often do we invoke St. Michael and our guardian angel for protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil?
It is abundantly clear from the pro-life situation internationally that a great spiritual battle is raging. The legalization of abortion in the land of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City, is a direct challenge to the Patroness of Life. In countries like Lithuania that are attempting to roll back their pro-abortion laws, the frenzied defenders of death can only be described as diabolical.
Human Life International (HLI) has seen the abundant fruits that come from the conversion of those heavily involved in the sin of abortion. Dr. Stoyan Adasevic of Serbia committed thousands of abortions before a dramatic change of heart made him a witness to the preciousness of life. His conversion came about in this way: He was aborting the baby of his own niece when she began to bleed to death. Dr. Adasevic made a promise to God that if she survived, he would stop aborting. Amazingly, they were able to stop her blood loss almost immediately. Now he travels around Serbia and central and eastern Europe proclaiming the Gospel of Life with HLI's assistance. Such conversion stories are seen wherever HLI works, but we need more prayers to pull all the lost souls out of the darkness.
That is why we see an urgent need for a prayer campaign to bring about the conversion of the agents of death. Pope Leo XIII composed the powerful St. Michael Prayer to counter the greatest threats to the Church. Today the culture of death is looming over our world. The total number of victims of surgical abortion is now counted in the billions. This is an almost unimaginable evil.
Join with us, the staff, and worldwide collaborators of HLI as we offer up the St. Michael Prayer daily for the conversion of abortionists. Many parishes and communities have continued or re-established the venerable practice of reciting the St. Michael Prayer after Mass. If your parish is currently doing this, or decides to do so, please indicate this by using the appropriate check box on the pledge form, as we are documenting this fact.
We have distributed over 600,000 St. Michael prayer cards already. Order them online for prayer groups and parishes. (The cards are free - we only charge for shipping.) Our hope is that millions will join us from all continents. The petition to ask our priests and bishops to lead the faithful in prayer to St. Michael after Mass is a great opportunity to counter the culture of death. To sign the pledge, click here.
May God bless you and your families in your spiritual commitment to creating a culture of life!
