Pregnant and Scared: Sisters of Life Share How They Help - And How You Can Too
By Debbie Cowden
In the “post-Roe” world we live in, there is even greater urgency for pro-lifers to support and defend the unborn and their vulnerable mothers.
But how do we do that? Perhaps there is no one better to answer that question than the Sisters of Life, a contemplative/active community of women religious who vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life in the United States and Canada. They serve pregnant women, mothers in need, and post-abortive women, and in all they do, they emphasize the uniqueness and value of every person, made in the image and likeness of God.
Get an inside look at the work they do to serve vulnerable pregnant women and build up a culture of life when EWTN airs “Into Life: Love Changes Everything.” At 5:30 p.m. ET, Monday thru Friday, Jan. 16-20 (with the exception of Thursday, Jan. 19, when it airs at 4:30 p.m. ET). Encores air at 2:30 a.m. ET the following mornings. Sfee the full programming schedule in your local time at ewtn.com/tv.
Originally presented as a series of 12 short-form programs for small group workshops (produced by the Sisters of Life, the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, and CampCampo Films), the series has been rearranged into five half-hour programs for our EWTN audience.
Here’s what’s in store:
Part 1 – Monday, Jan. 16 – Explore what it means to be created by God, in his image and likeness. Every person is summoned not only to recognize him/herself as a gift but also to help others experience themselves as a gift. In the second half, how to cultivate a posture of heart that sees God present in His creation—in the other person, in nature, and in circumstances. It is this authentic relationship and posture of wonder that allows a woman in a crisis pregnancy to receive herself as a gift.
Part 2 – Tuesday, Jan. 17 – Enter into a relationship of prayer with God, who is love, and reflect on the reality of prayer as the foundation and cornerstone of a culture of life. Witness the profound vulnerability experienced by a woman who is unexpectedly pregnant, and understand more deeply the main fears in the heart of a pregnant woman.
Part 3 – Wednesday, Jan. 18 – Contemplate the necessary posture of heart one needs to walk with a pregnant woman through her fears. Learn the three essential dispositions of the heart necessary when speaking with a woman in crisis: prayer, leisure, and delight. Behold the reality of what happens in a woman’s heart after the experience of abortion, and learn how to approach and gently journey with a woman who has suffered this experience.
Part 4 – Thursday, Jan. 19 at 4:30 p.m. ET – Take a closer look at the reality of adoption, and the tremendous discernment, maturity, and strength it requires. Then, experience the power of listening and presence in the work of accompanying another person into life.
Part 5 – Friday, Jan. 20 – In this final compilation, observe the process of active listening, the five levels of listening, and common barriers to listening. Listening well to another opens a beautiful space for the Holy Spirit. Learn about reflective listening, where we learn to act as a mirror for the other person, helping her to uncover what is really in her heart.
As you can see, there is much more to supporting women than just preventing abortions. The Sisters of Life beautifully model the care and respect needed for each individual woman they meet. For the many women who feel alone or unsupported in their unplanned pregnancies, the title says it all – Love Changes Everything!
This truly is a must-see for all of us who pray for an end to abortion.
For EWTN’s full schedule of programming, especially pro-life programs airing the week of the March for Life, go to ewtn.com/tv now.
Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that You have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never to stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected, and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice not just for some, but for all, through Christ our Lord. Amen!