Acts 9:4 (Conversion)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (website, Facebook). >

He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" John 6:52 (full readings)

Steve's Reflections: Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Fatima. In 1917, Our Lady appeared to 3 poor shepherd children and implored them to pray for the conversion of sinners and peace throughout the world. Our Lady's call for prayer, conversion and peace is not just for Catholics or Christians, but for all people and all religions around the world. You can find out more about our Blessed Mothers message to these three shepherd children here. In today's reading Jesus appears to Saul on the road to Damascus and set's him apart in a powerful way. This story illustrates the type of conversion our Blessed Mother is imploring us to pray for each day in the hearts of mother's in crisis, abortionists, and those who perpetuate the killing of innocents. Paul had a hardness of heart that led him to persecute and kill the first Christians. The scrolls he was caring to Damascus carried the names of many Christians he planned to persecute...but God intervened. Ananais, through prayer ("Hear I am, Lord), obediently listens to our Lord to go to a home he does not know and lay hands on a man he has learned to fear. Perhaps God is calling you to be like Ananias and obediently listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in someone's life? It could come as a nudge or thought to invite a co-worker to church; or give an old friend a call; or smile at a passing stranger. Perhaps like Ananias you have doubts that creep in and paralyze you? Dear Jesus, please give us ears to listen, hearts to follow, and courage to face uncertainty.

* Today's image of the unborn Christ invitro is by Nellie Edwards and more can be found at http://www.immaculataart.com/.

Faith Challenge: Pray everyday for conversion and peace in our world - prayer changes things!

Sr. Francelle's Devotion:

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action &gt

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: Our Lady of Fatima (c. 1917)

Faith Quote: “Throughout history there have been supernatural apparitions and signs which go to the heart of human events and which, to the surprise of believers and non-believers alike, play their part in the unfolding of history. These manifestations can never contradict the content of faith, and must therefore have their focus in the core of Christ's proclamation: the Father's love which leads men and women to conversion and bestows the grace required to abandon oneself to him with filial devotion. This too is the message of Fatima which, with its urgent call to conversion and penance, draws us to the heart of the Gospel” (The Message of Fatima, Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, June 26, 2000).

Through Christ Our Lord,
Steve
Romans 12:2 .

* 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 (23% 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.

Comments? To subscribe/unsubscribe to the emails, go to LIFE Group Devotions or LIFE Runners Updates.

Daniel 9:4 (The Spiritual Hearing Aid)

Welcome God today with this LIFE Group Devotion (website, Facebook).

"I prayed to the Lord, my God, and confessed." Daniel 9:4 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: Our ears can become plugged with our sins, making us hard of hearing with the Word of God. However, God can clean out our ears with prayer, fasting, and the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). The Sacraments are Biblically based gifts from God for staying close to Him. During the Sacrament of Baptism (John 3:5), all of our sins are removed, including Original Sin (Adam and Eve); however, we will again need reconciliation with God when we fall short (sin). The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a spiritual hearing aid that is sometimes avoided because a person does not want to confess their sins out of fear, embarrassment, or pride. Also, some believe that this Sacrament is not necessary because they can receive forgiveness with God on their own, which is certainly possible. However, Scripture encourages us to confess our sins to another (James 5:16), to facilitate contrition and for supportive counsel. In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, ordained priests give supportive counsel and have the authority to assure us that our sins are forgiven (John 20:21-23)...and most importantly we receive God's Sacramental grace to help us heal and not repeat our sins. Pope John Paul II apparently used the Sacrament of Reconciliation daily, primarily to receive the gift of God's grace. Even after a dramatic conversion (metanoia) that marks full reconciliation and the beginning of a new life in grace, we will still need the Sacrament of Reconciliation to remove future sin. We must continually seek and accept God's forgiveness, which empowers us to forgive ourselves and others. Lord, open my ears through the powerful healing of the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession). Amen.

Faith Challenge: During these 40 days of Lent, let God clean out your ears with the Sacrament of Reconciliation so that you may more clearly hear Him calling you.

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action

* “The worst attack…ever.”: "That’s what Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards recently called the all-out effort to defund the abortion giant. And it’s true. Never in its 95-year history has Planned Parenthood been this vulnerable."

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.

Faith Quote: "We sin not because we want what is evil, but because we want what isn't good enough." ~ Scott Hahn (Lord, Have Mercy: The Healing Power of Confession)

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* 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 (23% 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.

Comments? To subscribe/unsubscribe to the emails, go to LIFE Group Devotions or LIFE Runners Updates.

John 8:12 (Silent Majority)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (website, Facebook).

"I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8:12 (full readings)

Steve's Reflections: Last night at EDGE (Lifeteen ~ youth group) I was helping lead 45 middle school youth through what conversion is and how we can be converted in little ways to Christ each day. The story of Saul's conversion was used to emphasize how powerfully God can work in someone's life. The early church's greatest earthly nemesis (Saul) became the single greatest ambassador for Christ in the Bible (Paul). In that story Christ knocks Saul off his horse with a blinding light. When reading that conversion story it begs the question of our own conversion and the fact the most of us did not get knocked off our "high horse" by a bright light and hear Jesus speaking to us. For many of us, the silent majority, it has been in the quiet of our everyday lives that we have come to know Christ through little sacrifices and little conversions. As the youth gathered in small groups to discuss, I had to retrieve something from inside the Church. It was pitch black. Being across the room from the lights I stumbled to a closet to get the item. As I turned around to return I was surprised by the brilliance of the light shining through the doorway. It struck me as I made my way toward the light how easier it was to find my way out. In that moment I reflected on my own journey stumbling in the darkness, the moment I turned from that darkness by the Light of Christ, and how God has lovingly led me over the years to that same light. I face the same dangers now as I did in the darkness, but that light has comforted me and given me hope where there was only struggle and frustration. Lord Jesus, thank you for being the light of the world and the light of my world. Illuminate the darkness that remains in my life and help me to come closer to you day by day through this Advent season.

Faith Challenge: In what ways are you "stumbling in the darkness" today? Take some time to go to confession this Advent season and experience the grace and healing of this beautiful Sacrament.

Sr. Francelle's Devotion: Our Lady of All Nations "God gave Mary to us as mother to all. Even those who do not believe in her, still she is their mother...We do not worship Mary, as we do God, we simply honor her. Mary always points us to her Son. We can go to her with any of our needs. In the Bible we read about the wedding feast of Cana when the waiters ran out of wine. They went to Mary first with their problem and she immediately told them to go to Jesus. "Do whatever He tells you," she said."

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion, Alpha Center, Peters family (JP). View, add, update Prayers on our website. Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: Blessed Adolph Kolping “Adolph Kolping gathered skilled workers and factory laborers together. Thus he overcame their isolation and defeatism. A faith society gave them the strength to go out into their everyday lives as Christ’s witnesses before God and the world." (Pope John Paul II, beatification homily)

Faith Quote: “The first thing that a person finds in life and the last to which he holds out his hand, and the most precious that he possess, even if he does not realize it, is family life.” ~ Blessed Adolph Kolping
.
Through Christ Our Lord,
Steve
Romans 12:2

* 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 (23% 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.


Comments? To subscribe/unsubscribe to the emails, go to LIFE Group Devotions or LIFE Runners Updates.

Matthew 22:14 (Lord's Wedding Feast)

Welcome God today with this LIFE Group Devotion (archive, Facebook).

Many are invited, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14 (full readings)

Rich's thoughts: Today's chosen scripture comes from the parable of the Wedding Feast (Jesus is the bridegroom and the Church is the bride). This parable mentions a wedding garment, which my study Bible explains is the repentance, change of heart (metanoia) and mind, that is the condition for entrance into the kingdom and must be continued in a life of good deeds. In the parable, one of the wedding guests attended the feast unprepared and was not dressed in a wedding garment. He was consequently "cast into the darkness outside." All of humanity has been invited to the Lord's Wedding Feast, but not all will be prepared for the union with Christ. Lord, prepare my heart so that I may be fit to come into union with You. Amen.

Faith Challenge: What do you do to prepare for the Wedding Feast?

Sr. Francelle's devotion: Read about the conversion story of Scott Hahn, which is also detailed in his book titled Rome Sweet Home.

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life.
* Reports Reveal $3M in Federal Funds Misappropriated by New Jersey Family Planning, Planned Parenthood

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. Peters family (JP), Rich Reich (Cousin Tom's battle vs. cancer).

Feast Day: St. John Eudes

Faith Quote: "Let us therefore give ourselves to God with a great desire to begin to live thus, and beg Him to destroy in us the life of the world of sin, and to establish His life within us." - St. John Eudes

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

Acts 9:1-2 (St. Paul's Conversion)

Let's welcome God today by reflecting on this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (website, Facebook), based on Living Faith. All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Col. 3:17

Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. Acts 9:1-2 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "Paul was so sure that he was standing up for what's right, that he was defending God and the tradition of faith that had been passed down to him. But he was wrong. And in a flash of blinding light and a thunderous voice, God told him so. God took Paul down from his high horse to show that God doesn't need to be defended, but embraced. Not fought for, but surrendered to. Do I have the courage to remember, in the heat of anger, that my adversary is also God's beloved child?" by Claire J. King

Rich's comments: I was not able to attend the March for Life in Washington D.C. on January 22nd, but I did watch it live on my computer. A comment made by Nellie Gray, the founder and president of the March for Life, stuck in my mind as somewhat absurd. She said that next year during the March for Life that hopefully they will be thanking President Obama for ending abortion. The Damascus Christians probably never imagined that their persecutor, St. Paul, would be converted to a powerful evangelist and follower of Christ. St. Paul's conversion surely gave these Christians great confidence that "nothing is impossible with God." (Luke 1:37) Lord Jesus, may we never place limits on You. Use us to bring about many conversions this year. Amen.

Faith Challenges: Welcome Christopher Dalton and Sister M. Anselma to the LIFE Group! Let's generously share the LIFE Group by forwarding a devotion to others or by using the Facebook Group "invite people to join" link to invite your friends. Steve, Rich, or Pat will gladly add others to the email list.

* NEW: Pray that Christ will remove the scales from the doubting eyes of those who do not share our regard for the sanctity of unborn human life, and inspire them to dedicate themselves to the cause of life.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, Vatican, American Family Association, Priests for Life
* Let's never forget the horrific reality of abortion (images), #1 cause of death in America (23% of pregnancies). Let's courageously share ProLife Truth to create social tension for exposing abortion's unjust peace, rebuilding a Culture of Life for setting the unborn (and parents) free!

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together. Fasting ideas in footnote below.
* Prayer to end abortion, abused children, chastity, peace, our enemies, our troops, depression/despair, prisoners, politicians, illnesses/injuries, jobs, natural disasters, refugees, addictions, persecuted believers, Peters family (JP, Rebekah), Health care reform (protect the unborn), Haitian earthquake victims, James Ramesbothom (peace for his dying Grandma), Chris Wyckoff (for family during his deployment).

Feast Day of the Conversion of St. Paul: "St. Paul's conversion is a sign for us today to never fear persecution for our faith. Jesus can instantly make sinners holy, convert persecutors to evangelists, and change enemies into allies. Don't shrink before the Sauls in your life. Tell them that Jesus is Lord. Then expect Him to do far greater than you can imagine (Eph 3:20)." - OBOB

Faith Quote: "Conversion for me was not a Damascus Road experience. I slowly moved into an intellectual acceptance of what my intuition had always known.” - Madeleine L'Engle

Through Christ our Lord,

Rich

James 1:22

* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God's will & His miracles, changing us & helping others. 'If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn't, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead.
* Fasting: Let's fast from things that take our eyes off Jesus (selfishness, pornography, bitterness, criticalness, impatience, gossip, excessive video games, etc) and take on things that fix our eyes on Jesus (selflessness, kindness, compassion, forgiveness, patience, understanding, caring, helping, listening).
* 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).
* Evangelization: Let's make room for unbelievers (be a friend, make a friend, lead a 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 (Matt 28:19).