"a few choice words"
"It was not you who chose Me, it was I Who chose you." —John 15:16<br>"Make known to us which of these two You choose." —Acts 1:24
Many of you have saved from abortion hundreds and thousands of babies in the womb. Thank God for your love, work, and prayers! Are you pro-choice?
This seems like a crazy question to ask strong pro-lifers. However, many pro-lifers wrongly advocate "choice" in situations other than abortion. For example, the whole Christian life is more a matter of being chosen rather than choosing (see Jn 15:16). Jesus said: "I solemnly assure you, the Son cannot do anything by Himself — He can do only what He sees the Father doing" (Jn 5:19). God the Father has chosen our actions before we do them (see Eph 2:10). Our job is not primarily to choose but to obey. Jesus said: "I have not spoken on My own; no, the Father Who sent Me has commanded Me what to say and how to speak" (Jn 12:49). When we speak a "few chosen words," we should not be doing the choosing; rather, we allow the Holy Spirit to choose what to say through us (see Lk 12:12).
Obviously, we have some choices to make. Our main choice is to choose not to be pro-choice but pro-obedience, pro-God, and pro-life. The Lord says: "I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life" (Dt 30:19).
Prayer: Father, by this Pentecost novena, make me a Matthias who leads the Church and prepares her for a new Pentecost.
Promise: "The command I give you is this, that you love one another." —Jn 15:17
Praise: On the day of the first Christian Pentecost, St. Matthias spoke in tongues, proclaiming the gospel to the Cappadocian pilgrims in Jerusalem (Acts 2:4, 9). Later, he traveled to Cappadocia and evangelized the entire region.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, October 9, 1998
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, October 17, 1998