This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“Really, what we have here is only the tragic caricature of legality; the democratic ideal, which is only truly such when it acknowledges and safeguards the dignity of every human person, is betrayed in its very foundations” — The Gospel of Life, 20

Reflection: Simply because a law may be passed “in the proper way” does not automatically mean it is legitimate. Authentic law serves the good of people, and the protection of their rights.

Prayer: Lord, may legislators and judges see the foundations of authentic law.

This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“Through him all things came into existence” (John 1:3).

Reflection: Humanae Vitae is much more than a “birth control” encyclical. It declares and reaffirms the very meaning of human life as a sacred gift from God. We find our fulfillment precisely in welcoming, nurturing, and giving ourselves away for that gift of life. By capturing this vision of what life means, prohibitions on abortion and contraception make sense as pieces of a greater picture, and corollaries of one simple truth: God is love and life, and we are called to be like him.

Prayer: Jesus, you fill the world with life. Take away our fear, and make us fruitful. Amen!

This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“You restored me to health and let me live” (Isaiah 38:16).

Reflection: Pro-abortion politicians will say, “I support women’s rights and health.” Yet that is precisely why they should examine the evidence that abortion is destructive of women’s health, and listen to the growing voices of those who have been harmed by abortion. That is also why they should examine how the abortion industry, through unregulated and dangerous clinics, continues to deceive and exploit women.

Prayer: Lord, I pray today for all those women who have been injured, physically and emotionally, by abortion. Bring them healing, and awaken our public officials to the harm abortion does. Amen.

In elections, it is not the candidate who is right on the issues who necessarily wins, nor even the candidate with whom most people agree. Nor is it the candidate with the most money, nor the one who is ahead in the polls.

Rather, the candidate wins who has the higher number of people actually cast their vote.

That is why between now and Election Day it is crucial for each of us to focus on mobilizing more and more votes, on getting people to vote early, and on actually going door to door with literature about the candidates and the issues. Organize youth groups and other efforts to go throughout your neighborhood with a pro-life message about the importance of the election. Remember, the pro-abortion forces are doing this — we must not fail to do it ourselves.

This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons” (1 Corinthians 10:21).

Reflection: Some public officials who refuse to oppose child-killing continue to receive Holy Communion. But communion means union. To desire union with Jesus is to desire union with life, and to be in communion with his teachings means to accept them. When we come to Jesus, we are the ones who have to change to be like him.

Prayer: Lord, give us the strength to be in union with you, and therefore to reject evil practices. As you come to us, change us to be like you. Amen.

There is still time to join the national prayer campaign in preparation for Election Day, as Christians across the nation will beg God’s mercy upon us. The bishops have told us that we get the public officials that we deserve. When God judges nations, he does not necessarily send down fire and brimstone. Rather, he simply leaves us to endure the consequences of our own choices, for good or for ill.

In this prayer campaign, therefore, we pray that we will choose wisely, and that God’s people may not vote simply according to party loyalty or self-interest, but rather according to principle and the Word of God. Sign up with the prayer campaign by going to www.prayercampaign.org.  Pledge your rosaries, holy hours, and other prayers today!

This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion” – Mother Teresa (Nobel Peace Prize Lecture).

Reflection: You have heard people say that being wrong on abortion outweighs being right on other issues, and that is correct. The full truth is, if you are wrong on abortion, you can’t be right on other issues. To permit abortion, but then to cry out for the right to work, housing, education, health care, and peace, is to say that these other rights belong to some people but not to all.

Prayer: Lord, forgive our nation for allowing all the rights of the unborn to be taken away. Amen.

Many people who do sidewalk counseling at abortion facilities ask me what they should say in the few seconds that they have to say something to the mothers going into these killing centers for their abortions. One of many things that is helpful is to simply say, “It is not too late to change your mind, and you do have other choices. Come and talk to us.” If they do come to talk, what is far more important than anything you can say is to simply get them physically away from that place as soon as possible. Instead of carrying out the conversation in front of the killing center, go to a nearby diner to talk, or to the local pregnancy center. Remember, you don’t need to be an expert; you simply need to care.

This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“It is precisely in the “flesh” of every person that Christ continues to reveal himself and to enter into fellowship with us, so that rejection of human life, in whatever form that rejection takes, is really a rejection of Christ” (The Gospel of Life, 104).

Reflection: For some people, religion is too “religious.” They think they encounter or reject Christ only when speaking or thinking about him explicitly, or only when doing or failing to do specifically religious activities. But the Church teaches clearly that we meet Jesus in each human life.

Prayer: Jesus, you are all around us. Open our eyes to your presence in every human life. Amen.

This reflection is taken from my book Pro-Life Reflections for Every Day, which is available for purchase at: ProLifeReflectionsForEveryDay.org.

“On this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of the netherworld will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Reflection: In a battle, gates do not run out onto the battlefield to attack the enemy. Rather, they protect the city from the enemy attacking it. When Jesus says these gates will not prevail against the Church, it is the Church doing the attacking; the Church is storming the gates, advancing the Kingdom of Life!

Prayer: Lord, give us confidence that the gates of falsehood will fall in the presence of truth, and the gates of death will flee in the presence of the People of Life. Amen.