Mark 10:9 (One Flesh)

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

"Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." Mark 10:9 (full readings)

Steve's Reflections: The attack on marriage and family is reaching a critical level in our culture. Two days ago President Obama stopped defending DOMA (Defense Of Marriage Act). Regardless of your political views, the fact that our country is abandoning it's defense of marriage being defined between a man and a women is a shocking. This past weekend my wife and I enacted our own domestic DOMA and went on a Marriage Encounter. For those unfamiliar with Marriage Encounter, it is a time set aside for enrichment. The time that we spent focusing on our relationship and the covenant we share in the Sacrament of Marriage will no doubt pay dividends for years to come. Sacrament literally means, "to make Holy" and is an outward sign of an inward action or grace of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Marriage, by God's design, is intended to be a vehicle to heaven for those called to this vocation. No wonder it has come under such attack! In today's Gospel Jesus affirms the standard that God has set for marriage (for a lifetime) and points to the hardness of our own hearts as the source of "divorce". As Scott Hahn said in a talk on marriage, "Our spouse is the chisel God uses to make us holy...and I have the most beautiful, gorgeous chisel." As I gaze on my own wife, Tina - I concur! Heavenly Father, we call out to you to reaffirm the sanctity of marriage in our country - send forth your Holy Spirit and the Heavenly Host to pave the way for stronger marriages and families. Amen.

Faith Challenge: If you are married, consider setting aside a weekend in the near future to make a Marriage Encounter or encourage other married couples in your life to do so. Take some time today to focus on your marriage commitment and to affirm the gift of your spouse through kind, loving words.

Sr. Francelle's Devotion: Does Jesus want us to be happy? "God has planted the seed of happiness in each of us and everyone is searching for it...He gave us a road map to happiness -because so often people look for it in the wrong places. He gave us eight guideposts or beatitudes (which means ways to be happy) in the Sermon on the Mount, His first major talk."

Counter-Culture News: LSN, Vatican, AFA, Priests for Life, Live Action
* Chasing Rainbows "If there is one consolation from yesterday's bombshell on marriage, it's that the President can no longer hide his true agenda. After months of sabotaging the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) in secret, the administration is finally bringing their attack out into the open."

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

Feast Day: Blessed Sabastian of Aparcio (d. 1600)"Sebastian’s roads and bridges connected many distant places. His final bridge-building was to help men and women recognize their God-given dignity and destiny."

Faith Quote: "As the family goes, so goes the nation and so goes the whole world in which we live." ~ John Paul II

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.

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Luke 4:24 (saving a child...)

Let's welcome God today with this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (archive, Facebook), based on Living Faith. Prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers. James 1:22

Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Luke 4:24 (full readings)

Living Faith snippets: "There is something in humanity that makes us take the familiar for granted. We rave over the guest speaker, but overlook the fine speakers in our midst. We marvel at the flowers in the botanical gardens, but miss the forsythia in our own backyard. Is there a person close at home I am taking for granted? If so, how might I show my appreciation for him or her today? Lord Jesus, help me to see the people, places, and things of my world through your eyes." by Sr. Melannie Svoboda

Pat nuggets: Today's image goes with the inspiring "NEW" Counter Culture News story (below).

* "May the words I say...and the things I do...make my Lifesong sing...bring a smile to You!", Lifesong by Casting Crowns

* From "Living Faith Kids" (recommended!): "God has given us three gifts that are more precious than all the treasures on earth. First, we have the gift of life, to breathe and grow, to think and feel. Second, we have the gift of freedom, to choose right from wrong, love from hate. Finally, God gives us the gift of Himself in Christ Jesus. He walked on earth, performed miracles, and is still present in the Sacraments. Even with all this, many turn away and refuse to accept Jesus. If you believe in Christ, show it now, before it's too late."

Faith Challenges: Let's generously share the LIFE Group by fwding a devotion or using the Facebook "invite people to join" link.

* NEW: Let's seek God's gift of forgiveness and love/forgive others in return. In preparation for Easter, let's be enriched by the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Stations of the Cross. Most Catholic churches have Stations from 7 to 7:30 PM on Fridays of Lent.

* NEW: How are the Stations of the Cross meaningful to you? Comments on the Facebook page can be appreciated by many.

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 expose abortion's unjust peace, rebuilding a Culture of Life for setting the unborn (and parents) free!

* NEW: Today's image is a firefighter saving a baby's life (an inspirational true story). I heard a news report where a firefighter said that spending a million dollars on community Advanced Life Support was worth it...if it "saves a life." Thank God for the "service before self" firefighters and all those who work to save lives. We also have the means to save lives with our God-given power (prayer/action)! Consider giving an hour of prayer in front of your local abortuary in support of 40 Days for Life (until 28 March, 204 babies saved so far).

Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together, and close to God (footnotes). Peters family (JP). Prayer to end abortion, Vicki Kerkvliet (mother's heart problem), Carol Nesbitt (mother in law passed away)

* NEW: Jason Peters shared, "Everyone has seen a prayer request in the devotions for our son JP Peters. He has spent most of almost the last two years in the hospital (18 of 21 months). He was near death in January of 2009. For myself and my family to answer the question of "how are you reminded of your need for God?", all we need to do is wake up in the morning." See entire comment on Friday's devotion on Facebook page.

Feast Day: St. John of God, feel the drama...wow! "Patron saint of booksellers, printers, heart patients, hospitals, nurses, the sick, and firefighters." Dear Lord, like Saint John of God, "help us to act out of love as soon as we feel the promptings of the Holy Spirit. Help us learn to fight the little voices in our heads and hearts that give us all sorts of practical reasons to wait or delay in our service of God."

Faith Quote: "Remember always that your field of apostolate is your own personal Life. Here is where the message of the Gospel has first to be preached and lived." John Paul II

Our Lenten Journey continues,

Pat

Phil 4:13

* 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).