Luke 11:11-13 (Parent’s Greatest Gift) by Dr. Kevin Vost

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Guest Authors schedule. LIFE Minute radio.

“What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?" ~ Luke 11:11-13 (full readings)

Kevin's Reflections: I don’t claim to be the world’s greatest parent, but I can honestly maintain that not once have I ever given either one of our sons a snake or a scorpion when he’d asked for a fish or an egg. Today’s gospel reading reminds us that despite our fallen natures and proneness to sin, we want good things for our children and for our friends. How much more then does the all-loving God want the very best things for us. But what does God want us to do for them? Well, Jesus told us He wants us to ask. God doesn’t need us to inform him of our needs, since he knows them much better than we do. He wants us to persist in our prayer and to recall that He is the source of all that is good, of all that we need. But what then is a parent’s greatest gift? It starts with a literal gift of one’s self, as God gives the Holy Spirit. Your parents gave it to you, and you to your children, if you have any. God gave it to us all. That greatest of gifts, of course, is life. It was simply common sense in the days Jesus walked the earth, that no sane parent would ever give his or her child something deadly. How then today can we think it wise (and make it legal) to give to a child in the womb the instruments of abortion? Their sting is as lethal as that of any venomous snake or scorpion.
* Dr. Kevin Vost (LIFE Group Board) is a supervisor of disability adjudicators by day, and a Catholic author, speaker, radio, and television guest by night. His latest book is "Tending the Temple: 365 days of spiritual and physical devotions." www.drvost.com.

Faith Challenge: Be sure to keep prayer an essential part of your Pro-life activities. Pray every day that our nation will awaken to the fact of the inviolable dignity of every single human life. If you are a runner, pray it while you run. If you are a parent, pray it with your children...a very "good gift."

Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life, Vatican, Project Rachel

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Spiritual Adoption, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). Add Prayers on our website. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, LIFE Runners, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Bruno.

Faith Quote: “The glory of God is man fully alive, and the life of man is the vision of God. If the revelation of God through creation already brings life to all living beings on earth, how much more will the manifestation of the Father by the Word bring life to those who see God.” ~ St. Irenaeus, Church Father and Bishop of Lyon, Against Heresies

Through Christ our Lord,
Kevin

1 John 3:18

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. Fast from things that take your eyes off Jesus. Those who pray together stay together, and close to God!
* Save Unborn (& family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 & Jer 1:5. “A great poverty that a child must die that you might live as you wish.” Mother Teresa.
* Evangelize: Make room for unbelievers & re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.