On Thursday of exam week, the Respect Life Club took a trip to Planned Parenthood on Forest Park Boulevard. It is one of the typical activities of the Respect Life Club. We had considered going to Illinois to pray there but decided after the vote on Tuesday to allow abortions in Missouri again that we needed to return to St. Louis. Thomas Rempe, Bobby Yanics, Luke Nowak, Matthew Goss, Jonathan Sadisivam, Henry Rempe and I boarded the Priory bus to pray for the unborn, the mothers and the people who work for Planned Parenthood. It has often been cold and raining in past years which was suited to the mood of the trip. This year would prove to be very different.
Mr. Mitchom has used the expression “gestures of grace.” I do not have a full understanding of this idea but I think the Respect Life Club had three powerful experiences of God’s grace while we prayed the rosary in front of Planned Parenthood. It cannot not be a somber mood praying there but, on this occasion, we left with a feeling that God was actively there with us in the three people that we met there.
As we were praying the rosary in a hushed tone on the sidewalk a 25-30-year-old white woman approached us on the sidewalk. These moments can be slightly anxious. The reactions of passersby are often extremely negative. On this occasion it was a simple but profound statement: Thank you for praying. We continued praying knowing our number had increased by one. God had sent us a helper.
The second “gesture of grace” lasted probably ten minutes. It is a moment that I will remember for the remainder of my life. In the middle of the third decade, Luke was leading an elderly African-American man with a distinguished white beard, a small shopping cart, a bullhorn, and a well-worn Bible stopped in front of us. With a voice and expression overflowing with the Holy Spirit he said: “Thank you for praying for the babies.” Again, God had sent us another person to pray with us. The man told us that he was a street corner preacher. And the prayer he offered for us and with us was incredibly uplifting. I was not prepared for such a moment and can only paraphrase the many things he said in his impromptu prayer. First, he gave thanks to God that we were there. He asked God to welcome the aborted babies into paradise. Then he asked God to strengthen us, to make us soldiers in the fight for the babies. He recited portions of three different Psalms including Psalm 23 that we should have no fear standing on the sidewalk in front of Planned Parenthood. He concluded by asking God to help us bring down the walls of Jericho to put an end to abortion. The boys and I were in awe. He complimented the boys noting how scholarly they looked. He also said he could see the light of God coming out of them like Moses coming down from the mountaintop to share it with others. The next thing he did was powerfully inspiring. He took out his bullhorn and asked if any of the boys was willing to speak through it. None were prepared. He felt another prayer was necessary, in part, to demonstrate the power of the bullhorn. In this prayer he asked God to give the boys the wings of an eagle instead of chicken wings so they could carry out God’s will in the world. He also asked God to convert the hearts of the employees of Planned Parenthood so they could walk out and not be involved in abortion any longer. He asked for angels to be sent to surround the facility. When he ended his prayer, he invited us to attend the church he attends. We thanked him as best we could and then he continued down Forest Park Boulevard. Next year we will put a bullhorn in the budget for the Respect Life Club.
As we started the last decade of the rosary, a young African-American man stopped to look at us. After approximately 10 seconds, he turned and took the next spot at the end of our short line. He was willing to stand shoulder to shoulder with us in battle. I don’t think he said a word to the boys or to Mary, he only wanted to be a part of our prayer. When the decade was finished, he left without a word. Three people sent from God prayed that rosary with us.
As we walked back to the bus the boys were excited recalling the three gestures of grace that God had given us on that bright sunny afternoon of prayer. It reminded me of the apostles on the Road to Emmaus. The need to pray for an end to abortion will not stop, especially in Missouri, but we now know from our own experiences that God will be with us each time we do. The spiritual battle will not end but we know we are not fighting alone.
