Emmanuel, God Is With Us
Since the conclusion of the last 40 Days for Life prayer vigil at the Womancare abortion clinic in Lathrup Village, I have continued to pray at the clinic with several other people on Friday mornings as it is a day when abortions are usually performed.
On Friday, May 8, 2009, after dropping off my two sons at Holy Name School in Birmingham, I attended Mass in the chapel. The gospel reading was from John 14:1-6. Verse 6 reads "Jesus said to him (Thomas), ‘I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father but through Me.’" In his homily, the priest said that as members of the mystical body of Christ, we are the visible signs of Christ on Earth; we, therefore, are the "Way". After communion, I prayed that today I would have the grace to see Christ in others and that others would also see Christ in me and that the Lord would use me as His instrument to do His Holy Will.
Emmanuel, God Is With Us.
I arrived at the abortion clinic at approximately 9:15 a.m. and began to pray the Rosary. Shortly after I arrived, Howard, a retired teacher and widower who had lost several children to abortion when he was a youth, arrived at the abortion mill to pray and Sidewalk Counsel expectant moms. Howard, who is a Black American, is particularly committed to being a witness to the many clients who come to abortion mills. On this day, two days before Mothers’ Day, Howard brought with him a homemade sign with the words "Happy Mothers Day" written in bold black letters. He also brought a bucket of fresh lilacs. They were snipped from a bush in his yard. The lilacs were offered to the expectant moms. I am inspired by Howard’s faithfulness and commitment to the Pro-Life cause. He is often seen pushing a stroller with a poster that graphically displays photos of an 8-week old developing fetus and an 8-week old aborted fetus. He is unabashedly bold in his witness and in his desire to prick the consciences of abortion seekers. He also is frequently seen holding a sign reading "I Regret Lost Fatherhood." Howard has shared his personal story with me of being immature and promiscuous in his youth and consequently losing his own children through abortion. He subsequently "grew up", married, and he and his wife were blessed with three children. He so regrets the loss of his other children, however, that he is committed to witnessing to the lies about abortion and tries to dissuade mothers and fathers from making the same regrettable mistakes he has had to live with. Emmanuel, God Is With Us.
A car arrived with three people in it. A young African American couple who appeared to be in their teens and a woman possibly in her forties. The teenagers got out of the car and headed for the clinic door. Howard wished the young woman a Happy Mothers’ Day and to the man he said, "Happy Father's Day". She responded angrily, "Don’t talk to me", as she walked briskly into the slaughter house. I noticed that the other woman remained in the car. As I approached, I saw that she was on her cell phone, but she indicated a willingness to engage in conversation, so I waited. I recognized her as a Christian by the gold cross that hung on a chain around her neck. When we finally spoke, I learned that she was the mother of the young man and therefore the grandmother of the unborn child. She said that she and her son were against the abortion, but that his girlfriend did not want to go through this pregnancy and have the baby. She wanted to continue school. Despite being against her decision, both mother and son felt they must support her "deadly choice". The expectant grandmother shared that she herself had a similar issue as a teenager, but chose life when she became pregnant. She is the mother of four children and she lamented, "This would have been my first grandchild." I encouraged her to go into the clinic to try to save her grandchild. However, she was resigned to the inevitable abortion that would take the life of her grandchild, telling me: "I know this is wrong. I don’t believe in abortion, but these young people need to learn on their own. They have to learn the hard way."
Emmanuel, God Is With Us
Feeling that I had said all that I could, I gave her a business card from Mother & Unborn Baby Care in case her son and his girlfriend emerged from the clinic. Before I walked away, I asked her name. She said her name was Robin and I promised to pray for her and her unborn grandchild. I gave her a sprig of lilacs.My friend Barbara arrived to pray and I explained what was happening and together we prayed for Robin.A short time later, Robin’s son came out of the abortion clinic and joined his mom in the car. I walked over and offered to speak with him. He did not want his child to be aborted, but didn’t think he could change his girlfriend’s mind. I felt a tap on my shoulder. It was Barbara. She handed me exactly what we needed at that moment – a brochure with photos showing the development of a baby in its first weeks of life, as well as photos of the remains of an aborted baby at the same stage of development. The young man and I looked at the brochure together. "If your girlfriend has missed a couple periods, your baby is likely about 8 weeks old," I explained. Together, we read about the developing biological systems of an 8-week old baby in the womb. "Everything is in place and your baby will just continue to grow," I said. "The baby will definitely feel pain if aborted." I encouraged him to go back in the clinic and share this information with his girlfriend. Before I walked away, I asked, "What is your name?" "Emmanuel," he replied. Immediately, the words came from my lips, "You shall bear a son, and you shall name him Emmanuel, God with us." Robin looked at me and then at her son. "That’s why I named you Emmanuel," she said.I looked at Emmanuel. "God is with you, Emmanuel. You can do this. Go in there and save your baby and your mom’s grandchild. We are all out here praying for you." I looked at Robin. "Robin, I thought about what you had said earlier. ‘This would have been my first grandchild.’ This is your first grandchild and always will be."I pointed Howard out to Emmanuel and told him that Howard had lost children to abortion and personally knows the pain and regret that men suffer because of abortion. Emmanuel approached Howard. They talked and Howard gave him another pamphlet detailing the civil cases filed against the abortionist, Hodari, for malpractice including the deaths of two women.
Emmanuel, God Is With Us
I looked for Barbara to thank her for providing me with the brochure that I had given to Emmanuel. She had already left. I also needed to leave, but before I left I asked others to also pray for Emmanuel. In my car as I drove away, I prayed the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for Emmanuel, his girlfriend, their unborn child, and for the child’s grandmother, Robin.A few hours later I left Howard a voicemail. "Please let me know what the outcome was with Emmanuel and his girlfriend and their baby." Howard returned my call later that afternoon. "I have good news," he said. "Emmanuel and his girlfriend are keeping their baby." He had seen Emmanuel and his girlfriend come out of the clinic to speak with Robin. He then observed the three of them leaving and going into the Rib Rack restaurant, south of the clinic, apparently to talk. A while later, Emmanuel returned to speak with Howard. "So, what’s happening?" Howard asked. "We are definitely keeping the baby," Emmanuel joyfully reported. I felt a sense of exhilaration at the news Howard had just shared with me. This was my first time being a part of a "turn around", an unborn baby saved from abortion.I have spiritually adopted Emmanuel’s baby and I pray that he or she continues to be safe from abortion. I also pray for the baby’s mother, Emmanuel, and Robin that they will remain convicted in their resolve to protect and respect this new life. Upon reflection of this experience I am amazed and humbled by God’s grace. It is remarkable to me how He used those of us present at the abortion clinic that day to assist one another in helping people in crisis.I also reflected upon the early morning Mass I had attended and remembered:Jesus’s words in the Gospel. "I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life."The homily. You are the visible sign of Christ who is the Way. You are His voice, His feet, His hands.Receiving the Eucharist. Our Savior who humbly became one of us by taking on our human flesh wishes us to become Him and to that end He nourishes us with His own body and blood in the form of bread and wine.My communion prayer. Lord, please use me today as an instrument to do your Holy Will.
Emmanuel, God Is With Us
God spoke to me through a teenager named Emmanuel. I am more aware now that every time we are at an abortion mill, God is indeed with us. God is alive in every human being because He created us in His image. When we go to the abortion mill to pray or to counsel we are Christ’s visible image to the abortionist and his employees and to the desperate mothers and fathers who come seeking an abortion. Emmanuel, God Is With UsJesus is especially with us hidden in the wombs of the mothers coming to the abortion mill. Our Lord humbled himself and came into the world as a vulnerable baby who was once an embryo and a fetus dependent upon the Blessed Mother. We are reminded of this every time we pray, "Hail, Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. I also recall Bishop Flores’s message when he led a prayer service last year at the Womancare abortion clinic. When we come to the abortion mill, we are at Calvary. When a baby is killed through abortion, Christ is crucified all over again. We stand at the foot of the cross as witnesses along with our Blessed Mother.
Emmanuel, God Is With Us
This experience was a gift from God. Let us not give in to the temptation of discouragement wondering if our prayers or our presence at abortion mills are worth the effort or if they make any difference at all. We must remember we have a purpose for being there – God is with us. I pray the Lord has a special plan for Emmanuel. Perhaps he will become a bold Pro-Life advocate within the African American community. For now, I hope he realizes that God is with him and his precious unborn baby.
After all is said and done,
Emmanuel, God Is With Us.
Katey DevineMay 18, 2009
