# Prayer to heal our land and end abortion
*2021-01-23*

> On the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Bill Young reflects on the spiritual state of the nation and offers a prayer for repentance and healing.

## A call for repentance

Today is January 23rd, 2021, the anniversary of when Roe v. Wade was put into law. In marking this day, I want to offer a special prayer to end abortion called the 'Prayer to Heal Our Land,' which is part of the Patriotic Rosary. 

This prayer acknowledges that we have been given blessings as no other nation before us, yet we have spoiled the land with cities breathing with sin. We have lost our awe and reverence for God, viewing the majesty of creation only in terms of the pleasure it can give us. We often blame those who promote darkness for our problems, but we must realize that our own lack of holiness and our failure to be the light have allowed darkness to prevail. Our sins, which we wrongly view as small, have allowed great sins to be committed without shame.

## Interceding through Mary

Following the example of the prophet Samuel, we must not turn away from the Lord, but worship Him with our whole hearts. We come before God and ask Him to grant Our Lady her intentions. Though we do not deserve to be heard, we know that the passion of her Son merits our plea. We ask Mary to intercede before God to forgive us, our families, and our nation. We recognize that our nation is headed toward disaster, and we beg for forgiveness through heartfelt repentance, praying that we may once again be a people humbled and under God.

## The foundation of freedom

I want to share a reflection from Reverend Jedidiah Morse, written in 1799. Morse was a minister and the author of the first American geography textbook. He wrote that to the influence of Christianity, we owe a degree of civil freedom and political and social happiness. He warned that in proportion as the effects of Christianity are diminished in any nation—whether through unbelief, corruption of doctrine, or neglect of its institutions—the people of that nation will recede from those blessings. He argued that if the pillars of Christianity are overthrown, our republican form of government and the blessings flowing from it must fall with them.

## The role of the Christian

Morse's words are so appropriate today. We have to realize that we, as Christians, are at fault. It is our sin that has contributed to the great battle we find ourselves in at this moment in American history. One way we can respond is by praying the Patriotic Rosary, which involves praying for each of the fifty states, starting with Alabama and ending with Wyoming.

*The restoration of our nation's freedom and the end of abortion require the repentance of Christians and a return to a life humbled under God.*