Matt 18:5 (service)

* Welcome God every morning before work by taking ~5 min to read this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which has snippets from Living Faith (livingfaith.com). All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me. Matt 18:5

Living Faith snippets: "This year my religious education class was made up of fifth and sixth graders. My task has become not just to teach them about the faith, but to help them believe in it. It's a daunting responsibility, and it forced me to go beyond the curriculum to try to receive and honor their questions." by Fr. Mark Mossa, S.J.

Rich's comments: Any parent knows of the time and commitment it takes to care for a child. In today's society, it is often portrayed that we should be self-serving; treat ourselves to what we want in life. The Gospel today makes explicit that service is to be given to those with less power in society, not to those with more. By being the servant of all, one receives God. Service is not presented as a way to be rewarded later by God. It is a description of how God's kingdom works. Service is where we meet God now. Lord, give me the strength and humility to do Your will and build Your kingdom on earth by serving others. May I be an example of Your life-giving love. Amen.

ProLife news: http://www.lifenews.com/. "A disabled child in utero must never be killed in Christian hospitals nor can Christian hospitals legitimately cooperate in attaining such an end. Once born, a disabled baby may only live an hour, but in that hour the child must be welcomed to a tender embrace of Christian love and palliative care--and not abandoned by withholding food and water. That may be the way of the world of bioethics, but it has no place in the actions of a follower of Christ, or institution that align themselves with His name." by Mark Pickup, author of humanlifematters.blogspot.com

Our Prayers: Abortion, chastity, our enemies/our troops, natural disasters, depression/ despair, dementia, cancer, prisoners, Liz Curry (Drew, 2 yr old, kidney tumor surgery recovery), Deb Kayser (rotator cuff and hand surgeries), Jomary Chenet (daughter Jolie recovering from surgery), Ross and Kacie Paulick (discerning God's direction for their lives)

Faith Quote: "Faith can move mountains, but don't be surprised if God hands you a shovel." by unknown author

Through Christ Our Lord,

Rich

Romans 12:12

* Today's Bible readings at www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml. Reflection on readings at http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, thereby changing us & helping others. Wayne Watson lyrics, “When God's people pray, there is hope reborn, there is sin forgiven, and miracles you can't explain await!” "If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead & see Him."

* Defend the unborn: 'Rescue those who are unjustly sentenced to death; don’t stand back and let them die' (Prov 24:11). 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you' (Jer 1:5). 'It is a great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish' Blessed Mother Teresa. Prayer to End Abortion. Ask Blessed Margaret of Castello for her prayers to end abortion.

* Evangelization: Let's make room for non-believers (be a friend, make a friend, lead friend to Christ) and perpetual re-evangelization of self and those near us, by way of daily prayer (relationship) and following Christ's example of selfless love, mercy, and service.

Let's joyfully live out the Good News and gladly tell others about it (Mark 16:15)!