Suggested Pro-Life Reflections for March 25 / The Feast of the Annunciation: 1. Source: http://www.preciouslife.com/?

va=122&vb=212#Day33 Day 33 Devotional - Sunday 25th March Intention: Mary is troubled by the Angel Gabriels greeting, but still, Mary rejoices to do the Lords Will. Let us pray that all mothers who conceive a child may place their trust in God our Father, and know that the little one they have conceived, no matter what circumstances were in place, should be nourished and protected. Scripture: And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to Thy Word. - Luke 1: 38 Reflection: Our mother is a model of correspondence to grace. If we contemplate her life, our Lord will give us the light we need to divinize our everyday existence. Throughout the year when we celebrate feasts dedicated to Mary, such as the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and frequently on other days, we Christians can think of our Mother Mary. If we take advantage of these moments, trying to imagine how she would conduct herself in our circumstances, we will make steady progress in defeating the culture of death in our own land. The scene of the Annunciation is a very lovely one. Mary is recollected in prayer. She is using all her senses and her faculties to speak to God. It is in prayer that she comes to know the Divine Will. With prayer she makes it the life of her life. Do not forget the example of our Mother Mary. The Nativity story has all of the elements of a crisis pregnancy situation that one might see in modern society. A young mother, hopeful about her future but unsure what impact an unplanned pregnancy will have on it. A father who isnt quite ready to become one. A couple who dont believe they have the resources or capacity to care for a child they never expected. In this trying time for our country and the world, with the promotion of abortion reaching historic proportions across the world, the uplifting story of the birth of Jesus brings us real hope for the future of our nation and an assurance that God has a plan. Prayer: Father, I need a place to rest my head, as the world can cause me so much distress and worry about children who are as yet, unborn. Reflecting on the words of Our Lady, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to Thy Word, Mary simply answered, Yes, Thy Will be done. Teach me to answer yes in every present moment, so I may submit myself totally in trust to Your Divine Will in protecting the little ones.

I bring to You all mothers who are afraid because of their pregnancy; may You grant them the courage to trust in Your Will, so they may choose Life and answer, Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it unto me according to Thy Word. I make this prayer through the wounds of Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Eternal Father, I offer You the Body, the Blood, the Soul and the Divinity of Your dearly beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ in atonement for our sins and the sins of the whole world. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world. Amen. --------------------

2. Source: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/2009/11/30/my-nine-month-journeywith-my-mother-the-first-month/ MY NINE MONTH JOURNEY WITH MY MOTHER THE FIRST MONTH

The Annunciation. c.1655 by Nicolas Poussin I was conceived in Nazareth. The Angel Gabriel appeared to my mother, the Holy Spirit came upon her and the Power of the Most High overshadowed her. (Luke 1:2638) Meditation The Incarnation is as much the world in which we live as the globe on which we tread, with its earth, air, fire and water, its sun, moon and stars, its animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms. If we look at our souls, their present wants and eternal expectations, their life, strength, health and maladies, the Incarnation is as indispensable to them, and as indispensable every hour of the day, as the heat and cold, the air and light, are to our natural subsistence.. We live and move in the Incarnation. We are what we are, through it. It covers us, underlies us, and is all around us. It is incessantly affecting us in almost numberless ways, both within and without. We cannot get beyond the reach of its blessed influence, even by disbelieving it or dishonoring it. Father Faber (The Blessed Sacrament) When we cast the mysteries of His Life into great groups and masses, we make His Life threefold, Joyful, Suffering and Glorious. The most complete form is that which

distinguishes eight lives in Him, HisUnborn Life, Infant Life, Hidden Life, Public Life, Suffering Life, Risen Life, Ascended Life, and Sacramental Life. Into these moulds the Incarnation pours itself, and comes out in forms and shapes of the most surpassing beauty. Father Faber (Bethlehem, p.242) -------------------

3. Source: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/2009/12/01/my-nine-month-journeywith-my-mother-the-first-month-2/ MY NINE MONTH JOURNEY WITH MY MOTHER THE FIRST MONTH

The Annunciation and then the angel left her - by Geraldine Farrell My mother said yes and the Holy Spirit overshadowed her although I was miraculously conceived, I began life as one cell just like any other unborn baby. And then the angel Gabriel left her she had become my mother. Meditation The following reflections are from Cardinal Brulle 1575-1629 (founder of the French School of Theology). Some of the most notable followers of the French School were St. Louis de Montfort, St. John Eudes, and Father Jean-Jacques Olier. Stuttering rather than speaking, this is what we can say about things that so greatly surpass the human mind and even the angelic mind. These are the first thoughts of the incarnate Word. This is the first conversation of Jesus in the Virgin. This is the Virgins first contemplation, or better yet, this is the Virgins first ecstasy before the Son of God made Son of Man in her. p. 166 The Virgin is involved with Jesus and she is the only one in the whole world involved with Jesus. Thus she is the only one in the whole world adoring the mystery of the Incarnation, which was brought about on earth for the earth but unknown to the earth. She is the only one adoring Jesus. The more that she is the only one captivated

by such a great subject, the greater is her involvement. She is devoted to it with all her faculties. All her senses are brought to bear on it, for it is a tangible mystery and tangible within her. All her senses should pay homage to her God made tangible for human nature. Her whole mind is concentrated on it. And the Spirit of Jesus, which enlivens this little divinized body, enlivens the spirit and body of the Virgin as well, through grace, love and a holy, gentle influence. p. 164 Brulle and the French School: selected writings By Pierre de Brulle, edited by William M. Thompson The following is a footnote by William M. Thompson The authors of the French School were so struck by the humiliation and sublime grandeur of Jesus living in Marys womb that they counted his time on earth from the moment of conceptionBrulle implies that Nazareth and not Bethlehem is where the first birth of Jesus occurs. It is fascinating to note that, although he intended to write about all of Jesus thirty-four years on earth, Brulles Life of Jesus, through its thirty chapters, never moves beyond the nine months of gestation. p. 187 Brulle and the French School: selected writings By Pierre de Brulle, edited by William M. Thompson ----------------

4. Source: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/2010/08/01/rx-prescription-forculture-of-death-%E2%80%93-read-first-2-chapters-of-luke-and-call-on-thedivine-physician-at-dawn/ RX PRESCRIPTION FOR CULTURE OF DEATH READ FIRST 2 CHAPTERS OF LUKE & AND CALL ON THE DIVINE PHYSICIAN AT DAWN!

Bonfiglis Annunciation with St Luke taking notes 75 verses in the first chapter of Lukes Gospel detail the nine month pregnancy of Elizabeth and the happy birth of her son John (later to be known as the Baptist). Plus two angelic visitations, the Incarnation of the Son of God, the fulfillment of Messianic prophecy, two inspired canticles (still repeated daily by the Church) and if that were

not enough a sublime miracle of the first order performed by none other than the Embryonic Christ Child! What a chapter! When was the last time you visited this first chapter of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? It behooves every Christian to know it well. Pregnancy is best understood with all due respect to the dignified practice of Obstetrics and Gynecology first and foremost as a sacred mystery in the ever unfolding litany of the creative acts of our Loving God. Today pregnancy has become a hot potato, a political football because a jaded class of sophisticates believe that ending a life in the womb is better than engendering love within the heart. Our world today and the Church today need (more than ever) the first chapter of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, written they say, by a doctor Chapter Two is just as good if not better it leaves you on your knees worshipping a little newborn Baby! ------------

5. Source: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/2010/12/05/what-does-my-littlesavior-look-like-first-trimester/ WHAT DOES MY LITTLE SAVIOR LOOK LIKE? FIRST TRIMESTER

Painting from Gemaldegalerie Berlin On this Day of the Unborn Child keeping in mind the pregnant Virgin Mary and her growing unborn baby this is a good time to ask, What does our little Savior look like? The Zygote Christ Child is a mere one cell and you cant even see Him. This cornerstone cell of the Christ Childs Body is a male human living cell with 46 chromosomes. Jesus at this one cell stage is literally bursting with Grace! This is the grace of union, when the Son of God assumed a human nature from His very conception, which St. Thomas Aquinas taught was the source of every other grace. He is One Cell and one with us. The Blastocyst Christ Child at about one week development now consists of more than 100 cells; a one hundredfold blessing for humanity. He is implanted into the lining of Marys womb and is clearly focused on His Incarnation Mission. The Embryonic Christ Child is between 1/12 to 1/6 of an inch in length (around 4 weeks gestation). He is the least among us but has the most to give! His primitive

Sacred Heart is beating for love, a tempo that this world has never heard before, with a meaning that will take a life time to comprehend. (Memo to Mary: Your little baby has taken charge of this redemptive pregnancy already, sending chemical-hormonal messages from His body to yours thank you Mary for passing on essential nutrients to your Embryonic Christ Child, you are building up His tiny body and preparing Him for His Redemptive Mission.) The Fetus Christ Child (around 8 weeks gestation) is 1 to 1 2/3 inches in length and weighs about 1/3 ounce. He is not heavy, He is our brother, in solidarity with all unborn children, embracing our humanity in His body and Soul. In proportion to the rest of His rapidly growing body, Christs head and heart are very big; He knows us and loves us. His Sacred Heart beats at about 140 beats per minute. As His First Trimester ends, Unborn Jesus shows extraordinary signs of typical growth for an unborn baby. All vital organs are fully formed, His hair is growing, you can count the fingers on His hand and His finger nails are growing too! See each ear taking on its final shape and the iris forming in His eye. Incline thy ear, O Lord, and hear; open thy eyes, O Lord, and see.(Isaiah 37:17) In the buoyant liquid environment in which He grows, Unborn Jesus is showing not just a walking reflex but vigorously stretches His limbs and can even be seen leaping. Behold, he comes, leaping upon the mountains, bounding over the hills. My beloved is like a gazelle, or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing in at the windows, looking through the lattice. Song of Songs 2:8-9

Maestro Francesco, XIII century Madonna Platytera fra tre santi , Venezia, Scuola di S. ---------

6. Source: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/2011/11/14/the-incarnation-gift-tohumanity/ THE INCARNATION GIFT TO HUMANITY

Meister des Marienlebens Annunciation Sometimes words such as gift and giving like the word love seem over-used, employed too often and too superficially, thus inclined to have their true meaning and intent eroded. But to call the Incarnation a gift from God is not only appropriate, it is almost understatement. Consider this observation by John Paul II: The conception and birth of Jesus Christ are in fact the greatest work accomplished by the Holy Spirit in the history of creation and salvation: the supreme grace the grace of union, source of every other grace, as St. Thomas explains. (# 50 The Holy Spirit in the Life of the Church and the World) Here is a very rough paraphrase: The Incarnation of Jesus Christ is the supreme gift given by God to humanity. John Paul goes on to say of the Incarnation that it is the source of every other grace and every other Divine gift. Later in the same document, John Paul elaborates on this concept further:

Creation is thus completed by the Incarnation and since that moment is permeated by the powers of the Redemption, powers which fill humanity and all creation. #52 As we approach Easter, we know that it is a day to thank God for His plenteous and overflowing gifts, especially the gift of the Risen Jesus. What better place to begin our thanksgiving recollection than in Nazareth? In the time of Christ there was a rather dismissive popular expression: Can anything good come out of Nazareth? (Jn 1:46) Yes we might respond, All Good the supreme grace of God, the true powers of the Redemption filling humanity to overflowing, grace upon grace, and enduring hope!

Meister des Marienlebens Annunciation (Detail with Unborn Jesus) --------

7. Source: http://unbornwordoftheday.com/2011/10/17/we-are-people-of-life-andfor-life-archbishop-gomez/ WE ARE PEOPLE OF LIFE AND FOR LIFE ARCHBISHOP GOMEZ

(The following column by Los Angeles Archbishop Jos Gomez appeared in the Friday, Oct. 7, issue of the archdiocesan newspaper The Tidings)

Blessed John Paul II said that as Christians we are called to be people of life and for life. Our religion, in a beautiful and mysterious way, is deeply identified with human life. What other world religion remembers the time when its founder was in his mothers womb? Yet in our sacred Scriptures, we preserve the story of Jesus conception, his birth, and even some events from his early childhood. We retell these stories in our worship, year after year at Christmas time, in feasts like the Annunciation. We remember the name of Jesus mother in our confession of faith, when we say Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary. Biblical religion is a religion in which family and children, and the promise of children, plays a big role. Think of the stories of Abraham and Sarah and Gods promise to give them a son. Think of Gods words to the prophet Jeremiah: Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Again and again in the salvation history we read in the Bible, Gods plan is enacted through a woman who is with child. Behold a virgin shall conceive and bear a son God loved us so much that he entered into this world as each one of us did through the womb of a mother. Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to love the Gospel story of the Visitation. She always pointed to this detail how St. John the Baptist leapt in St. Elizabeths womb when Mary walked into the room. She said: Something very beautiful, something very wonderful happened. The first human being to recognize the presence of Jesus was the little one in the womb of his mother who leaped with joy. It is so beautiful to think that God gave that little unborn child the greatness of proclaiming the presence of Jesus on earth. Click here to read the rest of his statement.