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Fourth,
this icon is most effective in breaking through the
closed mindedness and defense mechanisms that many
pro-abortionists have. Most people have already
made up their mind on abortion and are very closed
minded when it comes to even listening to the
Pro-Life position. Sometimes it can even be hard to
get the pro-lifers to come to a pro-life talk. I
can use this icon to promote fundamental truths
without starting an argument, and ending the
discussion. (1) Oftentimes it is beneficial to
plant the seeds of truth in a non-confrontational
way. While the closed mindedness of the
pro-abortionist may incline him to totally ignore
other pro-life arguments, he may be less defensive
about this icon which does not even mention abortion
or Pro-Life. It is not until he or she really
thinks about the implications of this icon that he
is drawn to a respect for all life. By that time he
has had the chance to really contemplate and enjoy
this beautiful piece of art.
Fifth,
even Protestant Pro-Lifers will find this an
attractive means of advancing their cause. If we
could get all Christians to be totally committed to
life it would help tremendously. (2) Protestants
will often ignore feasts like the Annunciation.
Traditional paintings of this feast only show the
Blessed Virgin Mary and Archangel Gabriel in a
prominent way, with perhaps a small representation
of the Holy Spirit. These paintings do not appear
to be Christ centered to our separated brothers and
sisters, and therefore they view these paintings as
a distraction from Jesus Christ. However, this icon
shows what it is all about. The depiction of Christ
inside Mary’s womb demonstrates that Jesus Christ’s
coming into our world at the Annunciation is truly a
Christ centered event.
Sixth,
This Pro-Life Icon reminds me of the image of Our
Lady of Guadalupe which God used in 1531 AD. The
Holy Spirit worked through Mary to convert a culture
of death into life. At first, the Spanish
missionaries were only able to inspire a few
conversions. Catholicism had appeared to the
Indians to be a white man’s religion, and a religion
for the rich and powerful Spanish soldiers.
Obviously the image of our Lady of Guadalupe is
miraculous, but God also chose to work through this
image through practical means. The image, a humble
pregnant woman wearing Indian dress, showed the
Indians that God loved them, the simple Indian, very
deeply and that Christianity was for them too. Over
nine million Indians converted in nine years.
Just as Our Lady of Guadalupe conveyed a profound
message to the Indians through practical means this
Pro-Life Icon also uses practical means to convey
the most fundamentally important Pro-Life fact.
While Our Lady of Guadalupe sends a powerful message
to the weak and humble American Indian, the Pro-Life
Icon above communicates in a vividly powerful way to
everyone the fountain of our Pro-Life convictions,
that God is Life and that human life begins at
conception.
Seventh,
it takes the Pro-Life message to a higher level. It
conveys the beauty of life. No abortionist can make
a likewise positive and uplifting proposition to
advance his cause.
This icon is a perfect remedy for many of society’s
ills. It can be used to silently teach many
important truths. Misunderstandings about Mary’s
role and true humility can make it hard for others
to see the real beauty of this icon. Please, read
my other article about this at
TRUE BEAUTY -
AND THE CONTRADICTIONS OF THE WORLD
This icon is especially effective because
abortionists often wish to deny or at least ignore
the fact that a separate and distinct individual is
living inside the womb of a pregnant woman. This
beautiful picture depicts what recent medical
science has proven, that an individual's life begins
at conception.
This Pro-Life icon is most beneficial to our
Pro-Life efforts. It unmistakably points Christians
to two very important questions and therefore to the
answers for those questions.
Question #1:
“When did God work the miracle inside the womb of
the Blessed Virgin ?”
Answer:
“Nine months [or very close to that] before Jesus
was born.”
Question #2:
“When did Jesus first come to us ?”
Answer:
“Not at Christmas, as some might respond, but rather
He came approximately nine months before that. We
celebrate His coming on the Feast of the
Annunciation, March 25, when He came to live inside
Mary’s womb for nine months.”
I prefer to display this icon with the words
9 Months Before Christmas Luke 1:26-38
placed at the bottom, since the communication of the
timing of this event, the Annunciation, is
essential. Many people today do not know that we
celebrate this extremely important feast on March
25, and that on each and every Sunday we are
required to worship Jesus with a special bow when we
recall this event when we profess our faith in the
Nicene Creed. This reference to Christmas below the
icon makes it explicit that Jesus lived inside
Mary’s womb for nine months. By displaying this
image we can plant important seeds into the minds of
others about when life begins.
Unfortunately many girls who are mostly opposed to
abortion end up getting one. The lies that our
culture tells them are so much “easier” to believe
when they have an unplanned pregnancy. By
strengthening and confirming this very important
fact of when life begins we can strengthen their
resolve to resist those lies.
The declaration “I AM” around the pre-born Child,
denotes that Jesus is God. [Cf. Exodus 3:14, Luke
1: 43-44. ] However, it also has an important
Pro-Life implication. It is as if Jesus were
saying, “I am here. I exist in this womb. I am a
real person.”
The pictures that I provide do not begin to capture
the beauty of this masterpiece. So, my suggestion,
for your consideration, is to buy this beautiful
icon to see its real beauty. Then, show it to
everyone that you can.
This copyrighted icon by Rev. Anthony La Femina can
be
purchased from
New Hope Publications.
Poster:
16" x 20" with an additional border if
desired.
Phone number, with a major credit card:
1-800-764-8444.
I purchased this icon for $ 25. I liked it so much
that I bought second one also.
Also, click to see
Getting The Icon Framed
and why I believe that the wording
“9 Months Before Christmas Luke 1:26-38”
is best placed under the icon.
The Great Jubilee - 2000 Anno Domini
by
Rev. Msgr. Anthony A. La Femina, S.T.L., J.C.D.
“Pope John Paul II proclaimed 2000 AD a Jubilee
Year. The Great Jubilee celebrates the Second
Millennium Anniversary of God’s becoming man. It is
a momentous and joyful event because in the Lord
Jesus the history of salvation finds its culmination
and meaning. ...
The Incarnation is the precise moment when the Son
of God came into our world by assuming human nature
from a woman (Gal 4:4). For this reason the
Incarnation was chosen for the poster of The Great
Jubilee. ...”
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