JANUARY 2022 NEWSLETTER

Featured Article:

Looking Back on 2021: by Grace Chaffins

As I look back over 2021, I see a year filled with many challenges and trials that we have had to face. But above all, I see a year filled with many more blessings. When we began Homeschool Connections Students for Life in March 2021, I could have never even imagined the amazing experiences that lay ahead. This year has taught me so many lessons, and I will be forever grateful for all I have learned.

I have experienced firsthand the goodness of those I have met in a way that I have never noticed before. From those on the leadership team who have so generously offered their gifts, to those who have participated in events, trainings, and talks, I have seen how belief in a common cause unites us. I have also fully realized the power of this unity. We have accomplished so much more in the first 9 months of our group than I could have thought possible. From the publication of a monthly newsletter, to raising $1,600 in baby items for the South Dade Pregnancy Help Center, to a pro-life apologetics training with Trent Horn, to raising over $1,000 in donations for the opening of a new Pregnancy Help Clinic in Flint, Michigan, I have witnessed firsthand how uniting for a common cause can have an enormous impact.

Above all, I have learned that coming together for a shared passion can unite some of the best people. I hope that each one of you feels as grateful for the friendships we have forged over the past year as I do. I have been inspired by each of you so many times - by your readiness to volunteer, by your enthusiasm and encouragement, by your ideas and help, and most of all by your belief in our ability to make a difference.

Thank you for making 2021 a great year. Here's to making 2022 even better.

Guest Article:

Mary, Mother of God: by Hannah Blosser

January 1st is traditionally celebrated as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. It is a day to thank God for the many graces given to Our Lady when he chose her to become the mother of His Only Begotten Son, Jesus. Let us contemplate the meaning of this beautiful title of Mary; Mother of God.

Consider the many graces God showered upon Mary. God granted her to be Immaculately Conceived, so that she had no stain of sin in her pure soul. He prepared her to be the bearer of His Son from the first moment of her conception. Jesus relied on this humble, pure Virgin throughout His human life. He was completely dependent on her as a baby, as He had taken on our weak human nature. Just as every child loves his mother dearly and clings to her constantly, Jesus loved Mary and surely came to her when in need as a child.

Mary is the perfect example of Motherhood, and every Christian mother strives to imitate her patience and tenderness. As we enter this new year, let us take a moment to express our gratitude to God for giving us Mary as our heavenly mother, and to thank Him for our wonderful mothers who care for us every day.

Prayers:

A New Year's Prayer
May God make your year a happy one!

Not by shielding you from all sorrows and pain, but by strengthening you to bear it, as it comes;

Not by making your path easy, but by making you sturdy to travel any path;

Not by taking hardships from you, but by taking fear from your heart;

Not by granting you unbroken sunshine, but by keeping your face bright even in the shadows;

Not by making your life always pleasant, but by showing you when people and their causes need you most, and by making you anxious to be there to help.

God's love, peace, hope, and joy to you on the year ahead.

- Anonymous

Carrying Christmas Into the New Year - Reflection

As we witness suffering in the world around us, we know that many do not have carefree, merry Christmases... The world is broken. There is suffering. And God Himself comes into that suffering to be with us. That is the true nature of compassion - to suffer with. But awareness of the brokenhearted and God's great gift of Himself could easily become just another insight that comes and goes. So in the New Year, how do we carry the message of Christmas in our hearts?

A specific invitation to prayer surrounds January 22, when our nation will mark the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal in the U.S. throughout the nine months of pregnancy. Since that tragic decision, more than 57 million children's lives have been lost to abortion, and many women and men experience – often in silence – deep and lasting suffering due to their involvement.

As we begin the New Year, let us remember the brokenhearted and the suffering in our prayers and, remembering Christ's own love for each of us, reach out to be with others in support and in love. Though we may not see the immediate effects of our prayers and good works, we can trust in God's power to work through us.

Reflection by Anne McGuire from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop https://www.usccb.org/committees/pro-life-activities/carrying-christmas-new-year

Pro-Life Quotes:

"Consult not your fear, but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern not yourself with what you tried and failed in, but what it is still possible to do. Now is the time to put aside past and present setbacks and failures and look with confidence to the new day called tomorrow." - Pope John XXIII

"If we accept that a mother can kill her own child, how can we tell other people not to kill one another?" - Mother Teresa

News:

2022 March for Life Taking Place on January 21
The 2022 March for Life will be taking place in Washington D.C. on January 21, 2022. This event takes place a day before the 49th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which legalized abortion in all 50 states. The March for Life this year occurs in the midst of an especially important year for the pro-life movement in the United States, when the Supreme Court is expected to rule in a Mississippi court case which attempts to ban abortions after 15 weeks.

Upcoming Events:

Saturday, January 8th at 2:00pm EST - Monthly pro-life rosary

Note: Our regular monthly meeting with not be taking place this month due to preparations for the March for Life group trip. Please keep all members who will be traveling in your payers, along with the success of the events and the safety of all who will be gathering in Washington D.C.

Submit Content:

This newsletter relies heavily on the contributions of group members. There are a number of items we are looking for:

1. Creative content: We have implemented a segment of the newsletter dedicated to the topically relevant artistic contributions of group members, regardless of medium. If you have anything to share, please send it in. We'll accept most mediums, including (pictures of) paintings, graphic design pieces, songs, videos, poems, etc.
2. Articles: We are accepting topically relevant articles from group members. Please note, however, that the newsletter editors reserve the right to modify articles in order to make them suitable for publication. Such modifications may include grammatical corrections and removal of potentially offensive content.
3. Quotes & Literary Passages: We are also looking for any topically relevant quotes or literary passages to fill a segment of the newsletter. Anything from a simple sentence spoken by a saint to a paragraph from a book can be accepted.

If you want to submit anything from the above categories, or you simply want to provide feedback or suggestions, please email us at hscstudentsforlife@gmail.com and we will get in touch with you shortly.