Lord and Giver of Life, We are filled with gratitude That through no merit of our own, You have called us out of nothingness And into life.

You form each of us in the womb, And lead us to birth, Which is not the beginning of life, But rather the start of a new chapter of life.

You sent your son Jesus To experience life in the womb, and to be born of a virgin. You have made the birth of every child A sign of the joy of His birth And a reminder that to enter your Kingdom We must be born again.

Lord, we ask you to bring every child safely to birth, And to bring us all to a new birth by faith and baptism.

Keep us faithful to preserving our earthly life, And that of all our brothers and sisters, And keep us faithful to nurturing the new life we have received in you, Until it blossoms in all its fullness in heavenly glory.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, You are the source of all life. You have formed each of us wonderfully in our mother’s womb, And you call us to learn more about those earliest months of our lives.

As we reflect on the growth, protection, and nourishment We experienced in the womb, You also remind us of our mother, the Church, Which throughout our earthly journey also protects and nourishes us And helps us to grow in grace and holiness.

Bless all your people With the constant nourishment of the Bread of Life And the life-giving water that comes only from Jesus Christ your Son.

With our eyes focused on him, And in constant obedience to his Gospel And unity with his Body the Church, May we experience the joy of life here on earth And its fullness in heaven.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, I continue to marvel at the secret life Of children in the womb.

As you design them so wonderfully in the warmth of the womb, You remind us of the waters of creation and of rebirth. And as children drink of those waters in the womb, You remind us that you call us to drink of your Spirit throughout life.

Lord, today I pray that you look with favor On all children who are living and growing in the womb.

Protect their lives, And prepare them for the waters of baptism. Bring them quickly to those waters once they complete The journey of life in the womb.

And may they drink of your Spirit Every day of their earthly lives, And for all eternity in heaven.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, Your word proclaims, “How beautiful the feet of those who proclaim good tidings!”

As I continue to learn about the development of the babies in the womb, I reflect on how you prepare their feet to serve you and your people.

You have a plan for where each child will go, Whom each person will encounter, And how each of your disciples will serve others.

How beautiful are the feet of those who serve, Who come to bring food to the hungry, Drink to the thirsty, Companionship to the lonely, Hope to the despairing, And good news to those awaiting a Savior.

Bless the feet of every child in the womb, And of all the rest of us as well. May we run in the way of your commandments, And go in haste to those who need our help.

And at last, after our feet have taken us to all the destinations in this world that you have planned for us, May we enter with joy the life that knows no end.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Lord, my brothers and sisters in the womb at this stage of development have a firm hand grasp.

I ask you, then, to take their hand And accompany them in their final stage of the journey to birth.

Then, Lord, take their hand throughout life. Let them always be protected. Let them always grow in knowledge, grace, and love. Let them grow in service to you and your people.

Lord, please take the hand Of every unborn child. Protect them from the scourge of abortion.

And enable all of us to take their hands as well, Bearing witness to a world that often forgets them That they are your children and our brothers and sisters In the one human family.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, I thank you for the journey I made in the womb. I thank you for my mother, Who carried and nourished me during that journey.

I thank you for all those who eagerly anticipated my birth, Prepared for it, And prayed for me.

And today, as I consider the wonder of life in the womb, I too pray for all those still making those journey.

I pray for their families, to whom you have entrusted them, That they may have confidence in Your grace For them to be good parents and family members.

Bless all unborn children. Help us to get to know them better And always welcome them warmly.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, thank you for the wonder of life, And for the marvels of life in the womb.

As we learn more about our unborn brothers and sisters, We see that they learn the sound of voices as they hear them in the womb, Especially the voices of their mothers.

May this remind us, O God, of what your Son told us:

My sheep hear my voice.

As we all continue to grow in knowledge, and in faith, hope and love, May we recognize your voice, O Lord, Coming to us in the voice of Christ, in his Scriptures and in his Church.

May we long to hear that voice with every decision we make, And may it console us in every suffering we endure. May it shape every hope we embrace And purify every desire we nurture.

And in hearing your voice, O God, may we be even more sensitive To the voices of our brothers and sisters, Especially those who are most in need and call out for our help.

Bless and protect us all, born and unborn. We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, we rejoice in the miracle of life as we learn about the journey of development we each made in the womb.

We know through science that we began to learn things even before birth.

We began to develop preferences for various sounds and even for the taste of foods that our mothers ate during pregnancy.

Lord, we thank you for preparing, with such wondrous care, each baby for the journey of life.

In particular, we thank you for giving us a yearning for the food that You prepare, the food of your Word, and the food of the Bread of Life, your Son Jesus Christ.

May we hunger and thirst for the things of eternal value, and come to the joys of eternal life with You.

We pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, you prepare us for every milestone in life,
You equip us for every change
And you strengthen us to begin every new chapter in our journey.

As we follow the development of human life in the womb,
Give us and all people
A deeper appreciation of the fact
That our entire life
From fertilization to death
Is a single journey,
And that we maintain our unique identity
At every stage.

Give us also a deep faith
That you, who have brought us out of nothing
Will indeed sustain our lives
Even beyond death
And grant us the promise of salvation
And everlasting joy
In Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord Jesus, Your presence to John the Baptizer, While both you and he were still in the womb, Caused him to leap for joy.

We thank you for the wondrous period Of life in the womb, Which we all experienced.

We thank you for the marvels of our growth Which you accomplish As we are fearfully, wonderfully fashioned by your hand.

Lord, as we learn more About the development of life before birth May we also learn never to make false distinctions Between our brothers and sisters in the womb And those who have already been born.

May we recognize, and help others recognize, That these are simply different stages In the development of the same life, The same person, Created and loved by you.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, we praise you for the growth that we all experience From the moment our lives began at fertilization, Through the time we lived within our mother’s womb, Through our infancy and childhood, And into our adult years.

You are always the source of life and growth, And we marvel at the growth of the child in the womb, And the way in which you prepare each unborn child For the transition to life outside the womb.

You strengthen the body to stay strong and warm, And to carry out the many tasks you ask of each of us During our earthly life.

Lord, along with our physical growth, You enable us to grow in knowledge and skill, in relationships, in love and in grace.

May the growth of the child in the womb And the growth we all experience throughout life Always be a clear sign to us of your unending love And of the unending life you have prepared for us in your Kingdom.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, when we are first able to hear and distinguish sounds,
We are still residing in the womb.
Your Word speaks to us about the importance of ears that hear,
And you give us the privilege in this life of listening to
The proclamation of your Gospel.
The children in the womb are your future disciples,
And you prepare from all eternity the opportunity
For them to say the “Yes” of Faith.
Bless the development of every child.
Strengthen their hearing,
So that at the appointed time,
They may hear the greatest news of human history:
That they have a Savior,
Who died and rose for them,
And in whom they find eternal life,
And his name is Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

Lord, your Word is a light to our path.
Your Son Jesus said he is the Light of the World,
And that those who follow him will not walk in darkness,
But will have the light of life.
Lord, thank you for the facts we learn
As we pay attention to the growth of our brothers and sisters in the womb.
Thank you especially for the light we are able to see.
Throughout life, this is one of our most cherished capabilities.
As we rejoice to see the beauties of this world,
And as we grow in knowledge by what we observe,
May we also have the light of faith and wisdom,
That we may grow in all the spiritual gifts you want to give us,
And enjoy forever the light that will come from the Lamb of God
In the heavenly Jerusalem,
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, your Word speaks often of the shedding of tears.
The child whose development we are following can produce tears now,
And will do so throughout life.
As for all of us,
These children will shed tears of joy as they experience Your love and the love of others
And as they accomplish their goals in life.
They will shed tears of sorrow
As they realize, through the experience of change and loss,
That only You are eternal.
Grant all of us, Lord, through the tears of life,
To discover more profoundly our dependence upon You,
And to learn more fully how secure is the hope
That we have in Jesus Christ,
Who alone is Lord forever and ever. Amen.

Lord, thank you for the journey of life in the womb.
As we continue to learn about the development we each underwent,
We appreciate even more the strength you gave us, day by day,
As we prepared for life outside the womb.
We thank you for the advances in medical science,
Which allow children to survive earlier and earlier.
Bless all who work in the medical profession,
Bless all parents,
And bless all of us with a deeper awareness of life in the womb
And a greater readiness to care for and protect it.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Creator and Lord of all Life,
From the womb, you have been my God.
From the womb, you have protected my life, sustained my growth, and revealed – in me – an image of your glory.
The more we learn about this journey through the womb that we have all made,
The fewer differences we see between life in the womb and life outside the womb.
We pray, Lord, that we, together with all in our society, will grow in our appreciation
That every child in the womb is truly “one of us,”
A brother, a sister in the one human family
And in the one marvelous journey of human life.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, you give to all humanity the breath of life.

Even in the womb, we practiced breathing,

While we received our oxygen directly from our mother.

At every stage, you, O Lord, are the one

Who breathes life into us,

Wills us to exist,

And keeps us from falling back into nothingness.

Lord, unite us to your will,

So that just as you give life to every unborn child,

So we will defend those lives,

And be in our world the voice they do not yet have.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, as we learn about the development of life in the womb,

We see the various systems and organs of our body grow very quickly,

And then, as time goes by,

We grow in size and strength as we prepare for life outside the womb.

This constant growth in strength

Is meant to continue throughout life.

Though our body size is limited,

You will that we constantly grow in the spirit,

Grow in all the virtues,

And grow in love and compassion.

Be our constant strength, O Lord,

And each day, enable us to take your hand,

And grow into the people you want us to be.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, Thank you for what we continue to learn about the child in the womb.

With each passing week of development, our brothers and sisters in the womb Become more and more like the rest of us.

We learn that they experience simple things like eye movement during sleep And are reminded that they are indeed “one of us,” full members of the human community.

Lord, we pray for those who do not know these facts. Give them a thirst for knowledge; give them a readiness to learn.

And may the knowledge they gain of our unborn brothers and sisters Spur them to a greater love and concern for them.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord God, you are the Father of Life, And you care for all your children.

We thank you for the care you showed us when we were each developing in our mother’s womb.

We thank you for the knowledge and skill You have granted to the medical profession Which can keep many babies alive Even if they are born only 20 weeks after fertilization.

We thank you also for the scientific research Showing that these babies can feel pain.

Lord, may these facts move the hearts and minds of all your people To reverence and protect our youngest brothers and sisters.

We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord of creation and life, From the beginning of time, You have established the rhythms of night and day, Of tides of the oceans, And of the marvels of the human body.

As we continue to learn about the development of unborn children, We see those rhythms reflected in each human body And each human life.

As we discover the plan you have laid out for our bodies, Teach us also the plan you have laid out for our souls:

A plan marked by love and compassion, And protection of the weakest and smallest among us.

As we learn more about the youngest children, Help us all to provide them the greatest protection.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, as we learn about life in the womb,
We realize that all of us have been on one continuous journey since fertilization.
The person outside the womb is the same person who was inside the womb.
And just as we need time and nourishment to grow after we are born,
So we need time and nourishment to grow before we are born.
We are each the same person we were before birth, and you are the same God,
Breathing life into us at every instant
And fulfilling in our lives the plan you have had for us
From before the world was made.
Continue to guide the journey of life that each of us is making,
And bless especially those at the earliest part of this journey,
Our unborn brothers and sisters.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, as we learn about life in the womb,
We realize that all of us have been on one continuous journey since fertilization.
The person outside the womb is the same person who was inside the womb.
And just as we need time and nourishment to grow after we are born,
So we need time and nourishment to grow before we are born.
We are each the same person we were before birth, and you are the same God,
Breathing life into us at every instant
And fulfilling in our lives the plan you have had for us
From before the world was made.
Continue to guide the journey of life that each of us is making,
And bless especially those at the earliest part of this journey,
Our unborn brothers and sisters.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, as we learn about life in the womb,
We realize that all of us have been on one continuous journey since fertilization.
The person outside the womb is the same person who was inside the womb.
And just as we need time and nourishment to grow after we are born,
So we need time and nourishment to grow before we are born.
We are each the same person we were before birth, and you are the same God,
Breathing life into us at every instant
And fulfilling in our lives the plan you have had for us
From before the world was made.
Continue to guide the journey of life that each of us is making,
And bless especially those at the earliest part of this journey,
Our unborn brothers and sisters.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, thank you for our ability to know so much about the child in the womb.
As I continue to follow the development of life in the womb, I am filled both with joy and with sorrow:
Joy, at knowing your Providential care for us and your glory as manifested in making us so wondrously in the womb, even when nobody is watching…
And sorrow, at knowing that even at this stage of development, babies in the womb lack all protection and are being killed by horrific dismemberment abortion procedures.
Lord, send light upon the darkness of our world.
Send truth where there is ignorance.
And send loving compassion that will enable us to walk in solidarity with our youngest neighbors, the children in the womb, and to do to them what we would want others to do to us.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord,
I thank you for this journey I am making through the development of my brothers and sisters in the womb.
It was my own journey too, when you formed me in the secret place of my mother’s womb.
At this stage of the journey, Lord, we see the baby’s body indicate stress when poked with a needle.
I think, Lord, of how even You shared in our pain, especially in your Passion and Crucifixion.
Grant that I, and all your people, may appreciate even more deeply how all human beings, born and unborn, are connected with one another. Each of us is unique, but so many of our experiences are shared by each and every one, even from our time in the womb.
May this awareness strengthen my efforts to speak up for the rights of my brothers and sisters still in their first months of development.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Lord, you are the source of all power and protection!
We marvel about how many things begin happening in our bodies while we are yet in our mother’s womb.
And we thank you for the scientific advances that enable us to know and see more about the unborn child than we have even known or seen in all of human history!
Yet how ironic it is that at this very stage of our history, so many protections have been taken away from that child in the womb!
Lord, as we grow in knowledge, grant that we may also grow in wisdom. As we deepen our understanding of the hidden life of the children in the womb, give us the grace and the ability to protect them!
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, your Word tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, as you fashion us “in secret” within the womb. (Psalm 139)
The unborn child at the age of 14 weeks has been moving around for a long time already, but Mom has not been feeling it yet.
We thank you for this new manifestation of the child, this new “revelation” of your glory as the child’s Creator.
In you, O Lord, we live and move and have our being. Each human life is a manifestation ofyour glory. Each movement is a reminder of your presence and power.
Lord, bless each mother, that as she begins to feel her baby, the bond of love between mother and child may grow even stronger, and her praise of you, the Lord of Life, may likewise increase.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, thank you for the privilege of modern science that teaches us so much about the growth of the children in the womb.
You have taken away the excuses, O God, of those who would claim they do not know who is in the womb.
And you have given to the advocates of life a beautiful and motivating tool to call for the protection of our youngest brothers and sisters.
Lord, as we continue to participate in this project, give us a deeper love for these children and make us effective advocates for their right to life.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, you reveal yourself to us in countless ways during our journey through life.
One of the most consoling ways you do so is through the touch of another human being.
We thank you for the touch of our loved ones, who thereby convey their care for us and their desire to protect and console us.
As we follow the wondrous development of human life in the womb, we come to the point where just about the entire body surface will respond to light touch, and when the baby’s hands are touching the mouth just about every minute.
Lord, how often through life this will happen. And how often our sense of touch, and the movement of our hands, will express your love for us and our love for you.
May the precious lives you create always enjoy the touch of your protection, and be kept far from any attempt to do them harm.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Thank you, Lord, for the growth you give us throughout life, starting in the womb.
At various stages of our journey as unborn children, our growth was especially rapid.
Lord, as we learn more about the growth of the body, we ask you to also give us continued growth in mind and spirit.
May we always care for our body, for it is your sacred creation.
May we always yearn to fill our mind with good thoughts and grow in knowledge and understanding.
And my we always thirst for a greater portion of your Holy Spirit, that we may grow in holiness.
We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, before each of us was conceived, you conceived us in your mind from all eternity.

And you did not repeat yourself once.

Just as the genetic code of each individual is unique, so are his or her fingerprints – which the baby in the womb is now developing.

Lord, as we learn about the biology of prenatal development, so let us learn about the uniqueness of your love for us. Your Son said that he knows his sheep and they know him. May we all find comfort that you know each of us uniquely, and love each of us infinitely.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, your Word tells us that you hold us in your hand.

As we follow the development of Baby Chris, we realize this week that the baby is able to respond to touch. Our compassion for children in the womb grows even more as we see them responding to their environment, and able to feel those touching them.

Lord, may the touch we give to the child in the womb always be a gentle, protective one and never a violent, destructive one like abortion. Help all people to know more about these children, that they may be more inspired to protect them.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, you accompany us at each stage of our life’s journey. We all were once an embryo, and then graduated to the phase of being a fetus.

We were all once a newborn. We eventually became a toddler, an adolescent, an adult.

Some of us will even become octogenarians or even beyond!

But no matter what stage of growth we are in, or what we are called, certain truths do not change: we are human, we reflect your image and likeness, you hold us in the palm of your hand, we belong to you, and you entrust us to the care of one another in the human community.

As we follow the development of children in the womb from being an “embryo” to becoming a “fetus,” help us both to grow in the knowledge of human development and in the awe-filled appreciation of what it means to have you as our Creator and Lord.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, I thank you for the wonder of life as it develops in the womb.

This is the week that Baby Chris and all unborn babies at this stage, for the first time in life, will be able to bring their hands together.

How many times, Lord God, will these youngest brothers and sisters of ours join those hands together in prayer to you, our Creator?

As we follow the development of the child in the womb, give us greater and greater reverence each day for the miracle of life, and greater and greater determination to protect it from the violence of abortion.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord God, you are life itself and the origin of every living creature. In every sign of life, your glory is made manifest and your love is revealed.

We continue to marvel as we follow the development of babies in the womb, and as we think about the signs of life you give us: the beating of the heart, the brainwaves of various types, the movement of the body.

Lord, may we never fail to see you in every human life, no matter how tiny and fragile. And in seeing you, may we grow in reverence for the dignity of every person, born and unborn. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, your Word tells us that in You we live and move and have our being (Acts 17:28).

As we follow the development of the child in the womb, we see this week the beginning of movement, even though Mom does not feel it.

Lord, we pray for every child in the womb. May all their movements throughout life, and ours as well, always move us closer to You, and to Your Kingdom of truth and life, of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace.

Guide and protect our every move, and make all of us safe, whether born or unborn.

We pray though Christ our Lord. Amen.

Lord, we marvel as we read about the development of this little child. The heart, the limbs, the brain are all developing according to the plan you put in place at fertilization, and we can hardly keep track of the speed of all that is happening.

O God, free us from the error of thinking that size determines value. Instead, help us to discover the wonder of small things, and of small people.

Protect all children as they grow in the womb, and open our minds to what science teaches us about how we all developed in our earliest weeks.

We pray through Christ our Lord. Amen. Amen.

Lord, you are love itself, and you manifest your love to us by creating us, sustaining us, and saving us.

Your care reaches into every aspect of our lives, far beyond our awareness.

And like a constant heartbeat, your love is keeping us in existence at every moment.

To show your love, Lord God, you took on our humanity in your Son, Jesus Christ, who became an unborn child.

Lord, I pray for every child in the womb.

With each beat of the unborn child’s heart, inspire our own hearts to likewise beat with love for them.

And as your own Son’s heart was pierced by a lance on the cross,

So let our hearts be pierced with anguish over the ongoing slaughter of our unborn brothers and sisters by abortion.

By the power of your Son’s Resurrection, bring about the victory of life, and enable us to do our part

In proclaiming, celebrating, and serving that victory.

We pray through the same Christ our Lord. In proclaiming, celebrating, and serving that victory.

Amen.

Lord, you fill the universe in all its parts. You are infinite, and beyond all that the mind can imagine.

Yet you became an unborn child.

Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless and protect the children who today are in their mothers’ womb. Save them from the danger of abortion.

As we trace the development of Baby Chris in these first weeks of life, we marvel at how much intricate design and information and dynamism are found in such a tiny human being.

And we recall, Lord God, that the value of a person does not in any way depend on his or her size.

As we continue to learn the wonders of growth in the womb, remind us to respect even the smallest of lives, who are all the more in need of our loving care, just as they have yours.

We pray through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

Lord, we praise you for the wonder of human life. As Scripture says, “You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I praise you, so wonderfully you made me; wonderful are your works! My very self you knew; my bones were not hidden from you, When I was being made in secret, fashioned as in the depths of the earth” (Psalm 139:13-15).

Lord, as we learn about the development that each of us underwent in our first days of life, remind us that value does not depend on size, and that from the moment of fertilization, each of us has existed as a person of inexpressible value in your sight.

Bless all those at the beginning of their earthly journey. Give them your protection, and give us the grace to recognize them as our brothers and sisters. We pray in Jesus' Name.
Amen.

Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you that when Mary, your Mother, said "Yes" at the Annunciation, You took our human nature upon Yourself. You shared our life and death, our childhood and adulthood.

You also shared our time in the womb. While still God, while worshiped and adored by the angels, while Almighty and filling every part of the universe, You dwelt for nine months in the womb of Mary. You were our Redeemer in the womb, our God who was a preborn child.

Lord Jesus, we ask You to bless and protect the children who today are in their mothers’ womb. Save them from the danger of abortion.

Give their mothers the strength, like Mary, to say “Yes” to you. Give them grace to sacrifice themselves, in body and soul, for their children.

Help all people to recognize in the preborn child a brother, a sister, saved by You, our Redeemer in the womb, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen.