A Christmas Reflection

by Mickey Kelly
Voices for Life

For a while now I have been pondering the gospel of Luke that gives a complete account on the birth of Jesus Christ. (It happens to be a favorite of mine). As I was reading the important parts of the first two chapters while caroling in front of Philadelphia Women's Center, I came upon some conclusions that I wish to share.

The first chapter discusses the annunciation. The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary. Mary gave her full yes to the life she is carrying. Today women engage in a promiscuous culture brought forth by liberal feminism that pushes away real message of love. They must be willing to hear the truth with mercy and love. Pro-lifers are God's messengers eager to help women in their hour of great need during peaceful prayer vigils. At the end of the chapter, John the Baptist, in the womb of Elizabeth, became the first to recognize Jesus. We too must be willing to acknowledge the precious gift a mother is carrying.

The second chapter discusses the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem. Joseph was not afraid to man up and accept the responsibility of fatherhood. Men are called to be real heroes. They are to be protectors, supporters, and providers needed to stabilize a home for their spouses and children.

As they arrived to the City of David, they were looking to stay at an inn, but there was no room for them. Every time I hear the last line "no room for them in the inn" my heart becomes heavy when women and their "boyfriends" or family walk into an abortion facility because they believe abortion is their only option. Love requires sacrifice. In order to do that, we must make room for the child who is to come. Pro-lifers are the innkeepers needed to welcome all people; the unborn, immigrant, stranger, and even those suffering from physical and mental problems.

Overall, the passages I have shared from Luke's gospel tells us why pro-lifers are peacefully present outside of abortion facilities everywhere day in and day out. We have a duty to be the innkeeper's God desperately needs to welcome the unwanted children with love, mercy, and hope.

This Christmas be sure to give to a pregnancy center or local pro-life coalition in the name of Jesus. Your love and kindness is all you can give to a pregnant mother this year.

Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. Hold each other close and the memories of those no longer with you even closer. Step away from technology for the day and make memories that will last a lifetime. Attend Christmas mass at a church near you. Light a candle for an end to abortion and pray for the conversion of those involved with the holocaust of our time.


 

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, Pinterest, and on MeWe.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.



Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  


National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

The Best Christmas Gift of All is in Front of Our Faces

By Maria Gallagher
National Right to Life

Each year when the coldness of winter is just about to settle in, I return to Bedford Falls, NY, where the town streets are wrapped in a blanket of snow and the ivory lights glistening in the trees signal the celebration of Christmas.

It is my December destination because I want to spend some time with George Bailey, the town dreamer, who mapped out plans of seeing Italy, Greece, and the Parthenon, but ended up sacrificing it all to stay in his little corner of America and help his family.

I want to journey with George, who is contemplating suicide, as his guardian angel named Clarence shows him what the world would have been like, had he never been born. George’s brother Harry would not have grown up to be a military hero, saving the lives of his fellow servicemen. Instead, Harry would have died at the age of nine, the victim of a tragic accident–drowning after falling through a layer of ice–because George wasn’t around to rescue him.

So it was not just one brother that George had saved–but a band of brothers. As Clarence tells him, 

“Every man on that transport died. Harry wasn’t there to save them, because you weren’t there to save Harry.”

Clarence introduces George to a surreal world in which his first employer ends up in jail…his uncle forever emotionally broken…his wife alone and without children…and his hometown a Hell hole…all because he had never been born.

Clarence says, 

“Strange, isn’t it? Each man’s life touches so many other lives. When he isn’t around he leaves an awful hole, doesn’t he?”

George’s daughter Zuzu had prayed, “Please bring Daddy back.”

And after seeing Bedford Falls through the eyes of a stranger…and viewing the devastation of a world without his presence… George recognizes the immeasurable value of one life–his one life.

George:

“Clarence! Clarence! Help me, Clarence. Get me back. Get me back. I don’t care what happens to me. Only get me back to my wife and kids. Help me, Clarence, please. Please! I want to live again. I want to live again. I want to live again…..Please, God, let me live again.”

And in all its cinematic splendor, the film “It’s a Wonderful Life” concludes with George being reunited with the many who love him, whose lives have been touched and transformed by his.

Though it was released on Christmas Day over 70 years ago, the movie communicates a transcendent truth which so many in the U.S. need to hear today, amidst the tragic push for doctor-prescribed suicide and the traumatic ordeal of mothers pressured to give up–just as their babies are growing inside them.

Clarence:

“You see, George, you’ve really had a wonderful life. Don’t you see what a mistake it would be to throw it away?”

Website: National Right to Life

Voices for Life is an e-publication dedicated to informing and educating the public on pro-life and pro-family issues. To read our Mission Statement, use this link.  Follow us on Facebook, Google, and Pinterest.  Help us spread the pro-life message by sharing our articles on your favorite social networks.

Pregnant, need help or know someone who does?  


National Hotline: Call 1-800-712-HELP or Text 'HELPLINE' to 313131.
In Southeast Penna:  Call the Community Women's Center at  215-826-8090

If you or someone you know is suffering after abortion, confidential non-judgmental help is available.  Call Project Rachel's national toll-free number 888-456-HOPE (4673) or visit hopeafterabortion.org.  

The Secret Santa in our Midst

"Every unborn child and the mother that bears that child have the opportunity to transform history."

By Maria Gallagher, PA Pro-Life Federation
National Right to Life

Santa’s squad of invisible helpers is once again on the job this year. These unnamed philanthropists are zipping through department stores to pay the layaway bills of families who just cannot afford to make their final payments. 

Others place gloves, scarves, and other winter weather gear around community Christmas trees where men and women without a home can find them. And those with culinary skills rivaling the hottest cooking show contestants are whipping up authentic holiday feasts for hundreds of guests who might otherwise go hungry.

The generosity of the American people comes into bright focus amid the extravagant light displays and tinsel-covered window displays each December. The giving is often anonymous, with no expectation of any lavishly-wrapped present–or even the possibility of an acknowledgment–in return. It is that special, merriment-in-the-air quality that makes Christmas such a joyous time.

But the spirit of the season lives on, long after the glistening ornaments and the cherished cherubim replicas have been packed away. It continues, day in and day out, among those who serve those who lack clothes, money–even a name to call their own.

Mother Teresa, perhaps the 20th century’s best-known advocate for those in need, once said, “Unborn children are among the poorest of the poor.” The preborn child is powerless, completely without resources, and hidden from view. And yet he or she is worth more than all the gifts the Magi could offer.

National Right to Life article continues

Christmas Caroling at Planned Parenthood in Los Angeles

from Survivors of the Abortion Holocaust LA 

All I want for Christmas . . . is for you to join me in saving children's lives! Christmas is a wonderful time of year filled with joy, family, friends, and most importantly Christ's birth! But just as Mary had to escape the butcher King Herod to give birth to Jesus, we must help women flee from Planned Parenthood to give life to their precious preborn children.

I have personally seen the effectiveness of Christmas caroling at abortion clinics and how the simplicity of caroling and giving gift baskets speaks hope into a woman's life who is heading into Planned Parenthood to abort her child.

We invite you to join The Resistance this year for A ProLife Christmas Carol, Saturday December 5th in Los Angeles, CA as we continue to focus on Planned Parenthood.

When: Saturday, December 5th
Time: Starting at 8:30 a.m.
Where: Planned Parenthood Bixby

Can't make this one? Check our website for other planned caroling outreaches or start planning a Christmas Caroling event at an abortion clinic in your own community.

Don't worry about the details -- we've got you covered! We have been doing this for years and want to give you all the resources you need. If you have questions, we are available to answer them. Head over to A ProLife Christmas Carol and utilize the following tools to have a successful event:

Get Started: Find your local abortion clinic and invite your friends, family, and neighbors to join your event. All of the resources you need are on our website, such as: church bulletin inserts, recruitment handouts, caroling songbooks, and our popular sidewalk counseling manuals.

Register: Let us know that you are joining the 2015 A ProLife Christmas Carol Project and register your hometown today! Once we receive your registration, we will update our website so that others can join you at your event.

If you have specific questions, please check out our page. If you are not able to find answers to your questions, please contact us at info@survivors.la or 951-750-1114.