Pro-life Witness

For those of you who have been following my blog for a while, you may know that I am very timid about speaking about my faith and values, mainly because I fear confrontation. So unless I know someone shares my values, my mouth stays shut (I know that is hard to believe for those of you who know what a chatter-box I am!)

Today, however, I spoke up loud and clear about my pro-life values, to a complete stranger, and guess what? There was no confrontation-only acceptance! Praise God!

In my office at work, I have a large display of pictures of my family. Most of the clients who visit my office end up commenting on those pictures. They ask normal questions like "Are those all your kids?" or they compliment me on my daughter and ask if she's a model. People can be so nice, can't they?

I also have one picture of Saint Gianna Molla in the mix. Today, a client asked me about that picture. She asked if it was a picture of my mom. I immediately felt my face burn with embarrassment. What would she think of me, I wondered, when I told her about St. Gianna's fabulous story? Would she think I was strange to have a picture of a saint with my family photos? Would she ask to see a different nutritionist the next time they came, thinking that I was a bit crazy? Would she become angry because I dared to share my religious views in a secular environment? Would she confront me and say that she favored abortion? Would she confess that she had experienced the agony of abortion herself?

I took a deep breath, whispered a quick prayer in my heart for courage (Oh Lord, open my lips and my mouth will proclaim your praise) and I explained to her and her husband that it was a picture of one of my favorite saints, and I went on to tell them the beautiful story of St. Gianna. I told them that St. Gianna was a doctor who struggled with a difficult pregnancy in which abortion was advised. I spoke about her strength in refusing to end the life of her growing baby, and of how she died after giving birth to her daughter. I shared the amazing story of how her husband and children were in Rome to witness her canonization. I told them that the reason I have the picture on my desk is because it reminds me of the great honor and privilege I have in serving so many families with beautiful babies. Her picture reminds me to value those clients and those babies because all life is precious.

When I finished speaking, the client and her husband smiled at me and thanked me for sharing the story with them. They agreed that it is a wonderful story. As they left my office, I no longer felt embarrassed, but instead, I was very proud that I was able to witness to the pro-life cause and to my faith. I thanked God for giving me this opportunity in a pleasant setting with pleasant results. I know that in the future, being a witness for my faith and values will be so much easier because of this simple start.

Saint Gianna Molla-pray for us!