It is late on a Saturday night. I should be in bed, but my head is racing with plans for tomorrow. Like every Sunday morning, I will attend Mass with my husband. After Mass, we will head home for a hearty breakfast, then bundle up in many many layers.
Tomorrow is the March for Life in Chicago!
Last year was the first year I attended this March. I had never been able to go to the March in Washington DC, usually because of our own Sanctity of Life programs here in Danville. Last year was my first January since leaving my position at WCC, and I saw lots of #March4LifeChi posts on Facebook. What a perfect opportunity! Bruce had surgery the week before, so he could not go with me. This year, we are going together…and I am so excited!
It is likely to be much colder this year, but organizers are also expecting a much bigger crowd. Many of my friends think I am crazy…going to Chicago for a March outside in January?? Wasn’t I just scratching my head at all of the football fans who were watching the Vikings play the Seahawks last week? Yes, I was.
But there will inevitably be a sense of warmth tomorrow. I mean that quite literally in a spiritual sense. I know there will be secular prolifers present, but nonetheless, I truly believe God will be present in a deep, abiding way. I believe He will be pleased that we are gathered together, but He will also challenge us to do more than just march. Our efforts have to go way beyond balloons and signs and chants. Even so, the March for Life is important for many reasons…
#WhyWeMarch… because over 58 million children have died legally by “choice” in this country alone, and we must let people know that will never be acceptable to us.
#WhyWeMarch… because women deserve to know the truth about fetal development and the violent realities of abortion procedures. Yes, the legal ones.
#WhyWeMarch… because telling women that the best way to succeed in their careers is by killing their children is a despicable lie and the antithesis of feminism
#WhyWeMarch… because the Right to Life is unalienable, and not dependent upon one’s physical strength, stage of development, or potential to do anything, good or bad
#WhyWeMarch… because an unborn child’s Right to Life is not dependent upon her mother’s level of education or his mother’s income, or the condition of a home where he or she may live
#WhyWeMarch… because science clearly tells us that a separate human being is created at the moment of fertilization, and solutions to difficult pregnancies should strive to help both mother and baby survive
#WhyWeMarch… because the powers that be must see that we are a force to be reckoned with; a growing community who recognize that our civil laws must reflect what science tells us; a community that will not be silent until Roe vs Wade and Doe vs Bolton are overturned
#WhyWeMarch… because we love life! And while our resolve is strong, so too, our joy is unwavering! We want people to see peaceful and joyful gatherings, because we must “Give a reason for the hope that is in us” and “speak the truth in love.” (1 Peter 3:15)
I could go on and on…this means so much to me! But now, I am going to call it a night. It’s going to be a Big Day tomorrow!