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Dear
Lord Jesus in the womb of Blessed Virgin Mary, before your birth You filled the
unborn Baptist with the joy of the Holy Spirit. Inspire us to see You in
every unborn child. Grant us the perseverance to defend vulnerable human life
from abortion, abandonment, experimentation, and all violations. Fill us with
reverence for the moment of your Incarnation in Nazareth when the Word became
flesh. Amen. Celebrate March 25th in Honor of the Incarnation & as "Day of the Unborn Child" Preceding Christmas by Nine Months--the Length of a Pregnancy (Lk 1:15, 30-44) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pregnant & Need Help? Visit the Heartbeat International site or
call 1-800-395-HELP Instant Message or E-mail here--Find locations
& help worldwide ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Oración a Nuestro Señor Jesucristo Por Nacer Querido
Señor Jesús en el vientre de nuestra bendita Virgen Maria, antes de tu
nacimiento llenaste a Juan el Bautista por nacer con el gozo del Espíritu
Santo. Inspíranos para que te veamos en cada niño sin nacer. Regálanos la
perseverancia para defender la vulnerable vida humana del aborto, abandono,
experimentación, y todas las transgresiones. Llénanos de reverencia por el
momento de tu Encarnación en Nazaret, cuando el verbo se hizo carne. Amen. Marzo 25 (Nueve Meses Antes de Navidad) Fiesta de la Anunciación (Festum Incarnationis) Lc 1,15.30-44; Cat. Igl. año 1994, #717, 486, 495 Pertinent Passages from the ‘94
“Catechism of the Catholic Church” (Liguori Pub.) Consider these excerpts from the 1994 Catechism of the Catholic
Church. Passage 717 on the prenatal meeting of Jesus and John the
Baptist: "John was filled
with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb (Lk 1:,15, 41) by Christ
himself, whom the Virgin Mary had just conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary's visitation to Elizabeth thus became
a visit from God to his people." Passage 495 highlights the fact that Elizabeth calls Mary "the
mother of my Lord" even before Jesus was born -- just shortly after his
conception in fact -- meaning that even as a tiny, barely visible newly
conceived embryo -- Jesus was Lord. Passage 486 explains that Jesus was the "Christ" from His
conception in Mary's womb, but that the revelation or manifestation of this
to the world took place gradually -- and this progressive manifestation to
the world is what we celebrate in remembering and celebrating these important
events that took place after Christ's conception -- from the Visitation
revealing the presence of the Word made Flesh to Elizabeth and the unborn
John, to the birth in Bethlehem when God incarnate was unveiled, to the visit
of the shepherds who saw God face to face for the first time, to Epiphany
when Christ was revealed to representatives of the nations. In addition to the references in Luke and the Catechism, Prof. John
Saward's "Redeemer In The Womb" (Ignatius Pr. 1993) is a crucial
contribution to Christology and the understanding of Mary as more than just a
precious “vessel”; the book brings out the pro-life implications of Christ's
sanctification of prenatal human life as He experienced and passed through
each stage. It also sheds light on
the unique role of Mary in salvation history in being given the special and
ultimate honor of contributing Jesus' human nature, and serving as a living
temple of God containing Christ within her, and Saward elucidates the special
correspondence of this latter aspect with Catholics' reception of the
Eucharist. Saward’s work is a
thought-provoking reflection on the oft-forgotten first nine months of
Christ's life. Go To Home Page (secular pro-life argument summary) |
The Pro-Life Prayer to
Christ Unborn and its companion Prayer to Christ in His Hidden and
Public Life
Español: Oración a
Nuestro Señor Jesucristo Por Nacer
Oración a Cristo en su Vida Privada y en su Vida Publica Scroll to bottom for Free Prayer Card OfferBackground and Inspiration Biblical
Quotations (or scroll to lower right) 1994 Catechism Excerpts (or scroll to lower left) These
prayers were written in
the hope that a renewed reverence for and awareness of the prenatal life of Christ
will engender a new respect for the life of all unborn children. The first prayer to "Christ
Unborn" focuses directly on the life of the unborn Christ and is a
petition for help in fighting the culture of death, while the second (to
"Christ in His Hidden and Public Life") simply begins with his
prenatal life as part of a continuum leading to his Resurrection and
addresses many serious problems facing humanity today. They have elicited many positive
responses--the most notable of which was an appreciative acknowledgement from
the now canonized Pope John Paul II after a copy of the prayers was sent to
him at the Vatican. The prayers have
also been supplied to several churches and organizations--including The Arch of Triumph of IHM for use
in their mailings to raise funds for an ascendable monument and Shrine of the
Holy Innocents in memory of abortion victims. The
prayers are also meant to encourage observance of, and church
attendance on March 25th. In recent
years pro-life parents began annual celebrations of their children's
"First Days" nine months before their birthdays, but Christ's first
day, now memorialized as the Feast of the Annunciation (principal feast of
the Incarnation), was celebrated from the 6th century A.D. and in the past
had been named Festum Incarnationis and Conceptio Christi--which made it
clear that it was the conception of Christ (at the moment of Mary's consent)
that was being commemorated. It had
been a holy day of obligatory church attendance in the past, but the
requirement was dropped in the early 20th century. The feast is still on the liturgical
calendar, but is often moved to a different day in late March or early April
to avoid Easter Holy Week conflicts.
This has the unfortunate effect of obscuring the 9-month pregnancy
interval between the feasts of the Annunciation and Christmas, so wisely
chosen (and a prophetic pro-life statement) early in Christian history. This interval affirming conception as the
beginning of life was also consistently reflected in the decision to
celebrate the feast of the Virgin Mary's birth (Sept. 8) nine months after
the holy day honoring her Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8). It
is important for all
Christians to keep in mind that the Word was made flesh in Nazareth nine months
before Christ's birth in Bethlehem.
Celebrating March 25th in remembrance of this reality (and as The Day
of the Unborn Child as some nations are now doing) would not only be rich in
historically based and powerful pro-life symbolism, but also serve as a
wonderful spiritual counterpart to the celebration of Christmas, which has
unfortunately become so commercialized and secularized. If the Christian community as a whole does
not consistently recognize and honor the conception and prenatal life of Christ
who is God, then it should come as no surprise that the secular world has so
little regard for the newly conceived life of an "unplanned" child,
who is neither divine nor anxiously awaited nor announced by angelic herald,
but is simply unwanted, like so many others.
The
insightful pro-life
Christian writer Randy Alcorn of Eternal Perspective Ministries reveals the
need for education on this point; toward the end of his 2000 “ProLife Answers
to ProChoice Arguments” (Multnomah Pub.) in the Sanctity of Life Message he
notes that the vast majority of Christians would incorrectly identify
Bethlehem (rather than the actual site of Nazareth) as the place where the
Incarnation took place. Alcorn’s book
is a stand-alone pro-life reference--both comprehensive and detailed,
unassailably logical yet engagingly readable; he addresses many important
points overlooked in other publications.
Additionally, the companion guide to Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of
The Christ, entitled "Guide to the Passion: 100 Questions," points
out in the first few pages the recent reawakening to the significance of the
Annunciation as the beginning of Christ’s life--the answer to the
“Incarnation” question mentioned that increasingly the Feast of the
Annunciation is being celebrated on March 25th in honor of that most
important event of history. But if
you are looking for a book that specifically focuses on the unborn Christ,
Prof. John Saward's "Redeemer In The Womb" (Ignatius Pr. 1993) is
an excellent source for meditation on Christ's conception and the pro-life
implications of His choice to reveal the dignity of prenatal life by
experiencing it Himself. FREE Prayer to Christ Unborn Card
A free prayer
card can be obtained by visiting the DayOfTheUnbornChild.com
website
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Prayer to Christ In His Hidden and Public Life Christ
in the womb of Mary, save the unborn and bless their defenders. Christ the
child, shield the innocent and uphold those who guide them. Christ the adolescent,
lead our impressionable youth and sanctify their role models. Christ the
worker, strengthen all who toil for subsistence and inspire fairness and
honesty in the workplace. Christ the teacher, help us learn charity,
gratitude, and forgiveness in place of indulgence, ignorance, and arrogance.
Christ the healer, imbue the medical and scientific community with a full
respect for every human life. Christ crucified, comfort the afflicted and
soften hardened hearts. Christ resurrected, save us all. Amen. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click Here
For a beautiful image of Christ unborn at the
start of his hidden life. [This
picture is also associated with the Our Lady of the Millennium Prayer of Pope
John Paul II--notice the source of light (a second halo) coming from Mary's
womb.] Oración a Cristo en su Vida Privada y en su Vida Publica Cristo
en el vientre de Maria, Salva a los no nacidos y bendice a sus defensores.
Cristo niño, proteje a los inocentes y sostiene a los que los guían. Cristo adolescente, dirige a nuestra
juventud fácilmente influenciable y santifica a sus ídolos. Cristo trabajador, fortalece a todos los
que batallan para subsistir e inspira justicia y honestidad en los centros de
trabajo. Cristo maestro, ayúdanos a aprender caridad, gratitud y perdón en
lugar de indulgencia, ignorancia y arrogancia. Cristo sanador, imbuye a la
comunidad científica y medica, con un respeto total de cada vida humana. Cristo crucificado, conforta al afligido y
ablanda nuestros duros corazones. Cristo resucitado, sálvanos a todos. Amen. Luke 1:13-15 (Annunciation of the Baptist) But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zachary, for thy petition
has been heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son and thou shalt
call his name John. And thou shalt
have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great before the Lord; he
shall drink no wine or strong drink, AND SHALL BE FILLED WITH THE HOLY
SPIRIT EVEN FROM HIS MOTHER’S WOMB. Luke 1:30-38 (Annunciation of the Savior) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town
of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of
the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And when the angel had come to her, he said, “Hail, full of
grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed
art thou among women.” When she had
heard him she was troubled at his word, and kept pondering what manner of
greeting this might be. And the angel
said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for thou hast found favor with
God. Behold, THOU SHALT CONCEIVE
IN THY WOMB AND SHALT BRING FORTH A SON; AND THOU SHALT CALL HIS NAME JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the
Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his
father, and he shall be king over the house of Jacob forever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end.” But
Mary said to the angel, “How shall this happen, since I do not know
man?” And the angel answered and said
to her, “THE HOLY SPIRIT SHALL COME UPON THEE AND THE POWER OF THE MOST
HIGH SHALL OVERSHADOW THEE; AND THEREFORE THE HOLY ONE TO BE BORN SHALL BE
CALLED THE SON OF GOD. And
behold, Elizabeth thy kinswoman also has conceived a son in her old age, and
she who was called barren is now in her sixth month; for nothing shall be
impossible with God.” But Mary said,
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy
word.” And the angel departed from
her. Luke 1:39-44 (The Visitation--First Prenatal meeting of Christ &
the Baptist) Now in those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill
country, to a town of Juda. And she
entered the house of Zachary and saluted Elizabeth. And it came to pass, WHEN ELIZABETH
HEARD THE GREETING OF MARY, THAT THE BABE IN HER WOMB LEAPT. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit, and cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Blessed art thou among
women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb!
And how have I deserved THAT THE MOTHER OF MY LORD should come
to me? For behold, the moment that
the sound of thy greeting come to my ears, THE BABE IN MY WOMB LEAPT FOR
JOY.” |