It doesn't take much time, especially when you consider that this may be the only physical action you take against abortion all year. (Not counting kneeling in prayer, that is.)
In Dallas, if you just attend the march, it takes maybe half an hour to get to the cathedral, an hour to march and listen to some speeches and (admittedly not my favorite) sing-along music.
But you will be participating in the one thing that the general public, the media, and government understand.
Numbers.
Your mere presence will help show that more people care about all phases of life than most people realize.
If everyone in Dallas/Fort Worth attended who really believed killing the unborn is wrong, I think the streets would be clogged for hours. The media, who generally ignores the thousands who attend here each year, would be unable to ignore those numbers.
We all have our reasons to stay home.
I understand. Every single year I battle the reasonable rationalizations that spring to mind. But those rationalizations are not really true a lot of the time. In my case, they always boil down to:
- It's inconvenient.
- I might get embarrassed.
- I don't like that music (now I'm clutching at straws).
- I'd rather be doing something else (anything else).
So, I'll just say it. I'm lazy, easily embarrassed, snobbish, and selfish. Welcome to my inner life.
‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ (Matthew 25:40)Considering Mary's situation when she said, "Yes" to bearing Christ for us, I feel as if I can't ignore these littlest ones among us and their parents who are being lied to by everyone else in our society. Who need someone to stand up for them and tell the truth.
One of the things I like about the march is that this is my chance to simply "be there." Simply taking this walk lets my presence count without having to achieve another thing. There's a symbolism about that I like. A connection with the unborn whose value is in "being."
That's worth two hours, once a year.
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Note:
The DFW March for Life is this Saturday, January 19.
If you want to go but are a first-timer, email me and we can arrange to meet outside the cathedral.
julie [at] glyphnet [dot] com
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Bad Catholic has more on this subject specifically for men.
Amen! The cool part being, local Marches are great social events. Meet up with some friends, take a walk together, and if the music stinks or the sound is bad, or the speaker is mediocre, just find a little picnic spot nearby and chat for an hour, then clap at the end, and go pick up groceries on the way home.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I'm pleased to report that this year, while I sat with a friend watching small children play ball on the grass at the edge of the crowd, my eldest daughter went in search of a friend, and ending up listening to the speaker with rapt attention, and came away with decision to become a pro-life physician for a career.
So yes. Go!
Well said. Since I have a hefty commute, it's impossible for me to attend our local march unless I would take a whole day off work, which my current circumstances don't allow, but at the very least it is good for those of us who really can't be there to make it a day of prayer and fasting at the office. It really is the numbers that are powerful.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to do it! J-Lo brought the NYC to my attention at Patheos:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathrynlopez/2013/01/witnessing-to-new-york-for-life/
I'm going to go to that seven o'clock mass too. I wanted to go to the big DC march on the 25th, but for the third year in a row my schedule just won't accomodate it. But I'm going to take the morning off on the 22nd. I'll try to take some pictures and post on my blog.
I'm going! I'm going to the one in NYC, the same one J-Lo talked about on Patheos:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.patheos.com/blogs/kathrynlopez/2013/01/witnessing-to-new-york-for-life/