In all the Dioceses of the United States of America, Wednesday, January 22nd, shall be observed as a particular day of prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion. We are each called to observe this day through the penitential practices of prayer, fasting and/or giving alms.The act of abortion rejects God’s gift of life. Abortion destroys the life a child, lovingly knit together in his or her mother’s womb, and for someone who has participated in abortion, the loss of a child can form a hole in their heart so deep that sometimes it seems nothing can fill the emptiness. As a human and Christian family, we grieve the loss of so many lives. And yet, even in our grief, we know there is hope. Christ came for the very purpose of redeemng our sins, offering us His forgiveness, and giving us His peace. Jesus comes to free us from the bonds of sin. And there is no sin that is beyond God’s mercy.