Catholics have three basic penitential obligations to undertake during Lent: prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

All three sacrifices, however, are to be undertaken with a joyful spirit, as a means through which the faithful can draw closer to Christ.

And here’s a prayer and fasting commitment whose joyful implications are obvious: participation in the International 40 Days for Life campaign.

According to a press release from the campaign, more than 130 cities in the United States and Canada as well as locations in Australia and Northern Ireland will participate in the prayer campaign seeking an end to abortion.

The campaign is “an intensive 40-day program of prayer and fasting, community outreach, and constant vigil outside abortion facilities, Planned Parenthood offices and other public locations.”

Why is the joy of this campaign so tangible? Because it has a proven record in terms of saving the lives of unborn babies as well as changing the hearts of some of those who work in the life-destroying abortion industry.

According to the press release, “Three abortion facilities have shut their doors following 40 Days for Life events; 13 employees have left the abortion business, and 1,128 babies have been saved from abortion through the prayerful presence of people peacefully standing outside the clinics.”

Organizers say this year’s campaign, the fourth one that has been coordinated, will be the largest to date.

“This is clearly making an impact when it comes to showing people, on a city-by-city basis, the negative impact that abortion has on their communities,” Shawn Carney, spring campaign director of 40 Days for Life, said in the press release. “Many people think about abortion in abstract terms. But 40 Days for Life shows that abortion is real, it’s in their neighborhoods, and it has devastating results — not only for the babies, but for mothers, fathers and many others.”