Send out your Spirit, O Lord
The same Holy Spirit who brought forth life at the dawn of creation,
The same Holy Spirit who came at Pentecost to initiate the Church’s proclamation of the Gospel,
And the same Holy Spirit who inspired the courageous and holy actions
Of the apostles, prophets, martyrs and saints throughout the ages.
Lord, send out your Spirit, and renew the face of the earth.
For the face of the earth is stained with blood today.
Just as the ground swallowed up the blood of Abel
When his brother Cain became his murderer,
So the blood of countless unborn children
Stains the earth today.
Then, as now, it cries out to you.
All creation groans and longs for renewal.
Send forth your Spirit,
That the world, so often unaware of the sin of abortion,
Might be awakened to its guilt and embrace life-giving repentance.
Send forth your Spirit,
That where there has been the shedding of blood,
There may be instead the shedding of tears by those who turn back to you
And grieve over the lives of these children.
Renew the face of the earth,
That the land may again rejoice in the fullness of life
That the smallest children may again rejoice that they are welcomed and protected,
And that moms and dads may be free of the despair that leads to the temptation of abortion.
Renew the face of the earth
With a new solidarity among all human beings
To care for one another’s lives in every way
And never to regard a child as an unwanted intruder or a disposable burden.
Lord, send the Holy Spirit, who is the “father of the poor,”
And protect the children in the womb,
Who are the poorest of the poor.
May we, together with them, rejoice
As you renew the face of the earth
And make the whole world the sanctuary of life
That it was created to be.
We pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life