“Joe, is that you?” I couldn’t believe it. “Russ? I haven’t seen you in what, 16 years? What are you doing in DC, here for the March for Life?” “No” Russ replied. “I live here – in fact, I forgot the March was tomorrow – until the swarms of people.” “Huh?” I was confused. “Aren’t there always lots of people here for protests and on vacation and stuff?” “Well,” he explained, “This is the busiest we ever see it. When it’s March for Life time, it blows tourist season out of the water. I mean, we get a special event like inauguration or that Colbert/Stewart thing, but this is by far the biggest annual event.”

(Teens arrive to sleep on the gym floor at CUA before Marching for Life on Monday.)

It’s easy to be pro-life here this weekend. It’s easy to go to mass with 20,000 others at the Verizon Center or the DC Armory, and be all excited for our cause. It’s easy to march with 200,000 people – or more – and be chanting and believing with all of our hearts.

But we aren’t called to be pro-life 2 days a year. We’re called to live it. And that’s where it’s hard. At the family gathering, when your aunt or cousin makes a comment about radical anti-abortionists. Or someone at school gives you a hard time. Or the guys or girls on your team think you’re off your rocker.

But living it out – knowing the facts – being willing to pray regularly for the 1,400 or so abortion deaths daily – lovingly correcting people who just plain don’t understand the truth – contacting our government reps – that’s where the rubber hits the road.

And that’s our mission field. To vote pro-life, to pray pro-life, to learn pro-life, to teach pro-life, to live pro-life.

This March today will be something to behold. Wouldn’t it be awesome if the pro-life movement was that fervent all over the country every day? I pray that becomes reality – and that that reality changes the heart of this country to save over a million lives a year.