As I spent some quiet time with Jesus this morning, I was surprised when my thoughts turned suddenly to the memory of how the first pregnancy that my wife and I experienced ended in miscarriage. Then my thoughts moved to several people I love who have experienced the loss of a child due to an untimely death from miscarriage, accident, or illness.

And I couldn’t help but think that these children pray for us all the time, even when we don’t know it, through the mystery we call the Communion of Saints. Every child ever conceived has a face and a name, and when we remember that, it changes everything. These children – along with the millions of unborn babies we have lost to abortion – are cherished, missed, loved, and remembered. Especially today.

Our day of peaceful protest began with Mass, after which we went to grab a quick lunch before making our way to the National Mall where we – along with hundreds of thousands of others – stood, listened, mourned, marched, and prayed.

Everyone who has attended this event should be proud of themselves for their joyful commitment to loving and serving all people, especially the most vulnerable among us. Today’s march was important, powerful, meaningful, and impactful.

People of all ages attend the March for Life, and it’s an incredible sight to behold. But I’ve always been most impressed by how many younger people are here; the overwhelming majority are teenagers. That’s certainly the case with our group from the Archdiocese of St. Louis, which we called Generation Life – and that’s who we are!