Crossroads (www.crossroadswalk.org) PRO-LIFERS arrived on Parliament Hill, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, from British Columbia on August 11, 2012. They achieved their mission, their PRO-LIFE witness, through prayer and action.During their ‘walk for Life’ these twelve vibrant and prayerfull young adults witnessed to the sanctity of life, the right to life for the unborn human baby. I had the wonderful privilege to meet and interview one of these young Pro-Lifers. I was truly blessed by what ‘Maria Clare Kalin’ shared with me. One particular statement of hers moved me deeply. She said in a serious look and tone of voice: “This walk really convicted me that I can do so much more.” What follows is her written testimony. It is powerful and lifetransforming. Enjoy.
Testimony of Maria Clare Kalin. (* Maria is front row, Ist from left.)
I joined up with ‘Crossroads’ (www.crossroadswalk.org) when they entered Ontario. I had been unable to start in Vancouver with them due to school which didn’t finish till June for me. I considered myself a pretty active Pro-Lifer; I helped with Lifechains (www.lifechain.net) and ‘Choice’ chains (www.unmaskingchoice.ca) and never backed down when people were attacking life. But coming on Crossroads was a completely different experience.
When you do a ‘Choice’ chain, you are a Pro-Life advocate for the time you are holding the sign, but once the hour is up and you put it dow, there is nothing to distinguish you from the rest of the populace. But when you are on Crossroads, everyone knows you are Pro-Life because you wear the shirt which says so almost every day of the week. You walk in it, go to Mass in it, go to McDonald’s or Walmart. Everyone who sees it knows what you stand for.
That was pretty intimidating for me at the beginning. I remember my first time praying outside of an abortion facility. We were satnding near it, on the corner of the street; pro-life shirts on, rosaries in hand. I was pretty nervous. I kept thinking of all the people going by who were seeing me and it scared me a bit.
As the weeks went on, I felt God building up my courage and trust in Him. It was a leap of faith that I even came on Crossroads right in the middle of it, when I have school to prepare for in the Fall. But I learned that for every step that we take in faith and trust, God will back us up with courage and strenght.
During the walk I was finishing up the ‘Consecration To Jesus Through Mary’, by Saint Louis de Montfort, and learning to live like Mary helped with the daily challenges that walking and living with so many other people brought.
While praying at our last abortion facility in Ottawa, I realized how far I had come and how far God had brought me in just five weeks. I was no longer afraid of what people thought if we were praying in public, or the reactions our shirts got. I was given that courage and I will take that home with me to my community, my college and my friends, family and acquaintances. As we were praying a man came up behind us, then tapped me on the shoulder and handed me a card and walked away. When I looked at the card, I saw it was a picture of Mary, and on the back was the ‘Consecration to Mary Prayer’ in Spanish. That made me smile because it felt like that was just a little sign from Mary saying, “I am with you.”
The five weeks I had with Crossroads increased my desire to continue to fight for Life, as well as furthering the growth of my spirituality. For the sacrifice that I gave, I was given so much more in return. I guess that’s how God works, when you give, He will give you so much more in return. God bless.
Maria Clare Kalin,
British Columbia
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