Matthew 1:24 (The Ultimate Yes Man)

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

"When Joseph awoke, he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took his wife into his home." ~ Matthew 1:24 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: Today's Gospel is about St. Joseph's "fiat", which means "God's will be done." Just as with the Blessed Virgin Mary, this was Joseph's opportunity to say "yes" to the Lord. Before the angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in his dream, he was contemplating divorcing Mary, which would also mean he was divorcing Jesus, the Baby in Mary's womb. God the Father entrusted His only begotten Son, Jesus, to the care and protection of Joseph, and Joseph responded "yes." Through his instant and courageous obedience, Joseph defended the Infant Jesus from King Herod's plan to kill Him (Matthew 2:13). Each of us also has an opportunity to say "yes" to the Lord by protecting the babies inside and out of the womb. Let's not divorce ourselves from the unborn, but imitate the example of St. Joseph by being the protectors of life. Say "yes" to the Lord with loving obedience by saying "yes" to life.

Faith Challenge: Say "yes" to the Lord with loving obedience by saying "yes" to life. Pray for the unborn and their mothers during Lent.

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

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed & Patron Saint. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Joseph

Faith Quote: "St. Joseph was an ordinary sort of man on whom God relied to do great things. He did exactly what the Lord wanted him to do, in each and every event that went to make up his life." - Blessed Josemaria Escriva

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.

As most of you know, Sr. Francelle had a massive stroke on Sunday March 11.  Since that time she has been hospitalized at St. Luke’s in Aberdeen, SD.  She was non-responsive for the first day.  Remarkably, Monday morning she opened her eyes and spoke.  THE WORD HAD GOTTEN OUT AND YOUR PRAYERS WERE HEARD.  Her condition now continues to surprise us.  Not only recognizing each visitor by name, but also her speech is getting clearer.    Sr. Francelle still has a long road to recovery ahead of her.  She will be having rehabilitation and is beginning to have movement in her left side.  Your prayers are needed more than ever. She also remembered that she had not sent out her weekly letter, which was written Saturday March 10, and was in her draft box in her email.  She insisted her nieces get into her email to get this letter sent.   Prior to the body of her letter she asked us to say the following to all of you:

·          Kathy Johansen Peterson, my niece in Minneapolis, set up a Rosary conference call with the help of Pat and Steve Castle.  From Taiwan to California the voices were a joy to hear. 

·          I am alert and aware of what is going on. 

·          My two sisters, Angela and Rose Anne, came.

·          My nieces, Jackie and Sue, came to visit.

·          Linda, my niece, and Molly, my grandniece, surprised me with coming to visit me.  

·          All of my visitors have been a great joy for me. 

·          As my niece, Sue, said, ‘God wants you exactly where you are.’

·          This is my opportunity to practice what I preach.

·          I offer my suffering for all of you and the nation.

Luke 4:28 (Off the Cliff)

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided byLIFE Runners (FB). Upcoming Guest Authors.

"When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury." Luke 4:28 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: In today's Gospel, Jesus unfavorably compared the people of His hometown with foreigners in order to call them to repentance. Jesus told the people of Nazareth that, although many Jewish widows needed financial help during a three-and-a-half year famine brought on by the prophet Elijah, none of the Jewish widows were helped. Instead, a foreign widow from Zarephath received Elijah's aid (Lk 4:25-26). Instead of repenting, Christ's people refused the calling and tried to throw Jesus over a cliff (Lk 4:29-30). When the Lord blesses someone else, do you feel neglected by God? Instead of throwing Jesus over the cliff, we should throw away our pride. Pride is keeping us from repenting and experiencing true spiritual growth this Lent. Lord, remove pride from my heart so that I may repent. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Thank God when others are being blessed in ways that you are not. This is a call for you to repent.

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

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed & Patron Saint. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Fina

Faith Quote: "Repentance lifts a man up. Mourning knocks at heaven's gate. Holy humility opens it." ~ John Climacus

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.

Luke 6:37 (Forgive to Give)

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

"Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven." ~ Luke 6:37 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: In the Gospel today, Jesus commands us not to judge or condemn others. This can be difficult, especially when we are so passionate about defending life from conception to natural death. However, if we are serious about building and sustaining a Culture of Life through all ages and stages (the Vision of the LIFE Group), then we must first show forgiveness so that we are then capable of giving God's healing love to others. Lord, help us to forgive the women who choose to take the lives of their unborn, who yield to the many social, economic, and personal pressures and thwart Your plan for human life. Help us to forgive the activists, the informed and the misinformed, who shout, march, and demonstrate for the right of a woman to have a "choice", the choice to kill her baby or to let it live. Help us to forgive the doctors and their assistants, who have prostituted their professions to kill for money. Help us to forgive the clergymen who will not speak out against abortion for fear of "upsetting" their people. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Forgive those who do not value the defense of all human life, born and unborn, so that you may begin to build and sustain a Culture of Life through sharing God's healing love.

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

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

Feast Day: St. John Joseph of the Cross

Faith Quote: "As gold is purified in the fire, our own crosses offered to Christ for the conversion of ourselves and the world will keep us from approaching the abortion bound mother or father with anger or bitterness." - Msgr. Philip Reilly, Founder of the Helpers of God's Precious Infants

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will and 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 (and family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 and 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 and re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.

Matthew 25:40 (How Do I Love Thee?)

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

"And the king will say to them in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.'" ~ Matthew 25:40 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: In today's Gospel, Jesus gave a preview of Judgement Day. We will be judged by our faith and love for Him as we have expressed it in loving service to "the least of the brethren." This statement could be understood as a burden that we must bare. Now we are responsible for taking care of the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned?! (Matthew 25:35-36) Don't be discouraged. Have you ever read the poem by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861), "How do I love thee? Let me count the ways."? We should feel privileged that Jesus has given us so many ways to show our love for Him. Lord, thank you for giving me the opportunity to love you in so many ways. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Take advantage of the many ways to show your love for Jesus by serving those in need.

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

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

Feast Day: St. Leander of Seville

Faith Quote: "I am a little pencil in the hand of a writing God who is sending a love letter to the world." - Mother Teresa

Through Christ our Lord,
Rich
James 1:22

* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will and 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 (and family): Abortion reality (images)…#1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 and 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 and re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.

James 3:13 (A Lesson for the Wise)

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

"Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show his works by a good life in the humility that comes from wisdom." ~ James 3:13 (full readings)

Rich's Reflections: In today's reading, James invites people who are supposedly wise to step forward and identify themselves. His question is a challenge for those self-proclaiming wisdom (i.e., teachers) to conduct a self-examination. Am I teaching from humility or from selfish ambition? If it is the latter, then I am even failing in the matter about which I am most proud: my grasp of truth. I taught chemistry at the Air Force Academy for 3 years and I truly enjoyed the experience. It was very fulfilling to help others in need and to get others excited about something that interested me. Unfortunately though, my motivation for teaching became focused on a departmental teaching award that consumed me and later shifted to jealousy when I did not win the award. My envy and selfish ambition were the opposite of humility. James explains that true wisdom comes from outside ourselves and from God Himself. Wisdom is humbly admitting one's needs and relying on God for the wisdom one lacks. Lord, help me to be humble so that I may understand that true wisdom only comes from You. Amen.

Faith Challenge: Show wisdom in humbly accepting the word of God in your life.

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

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Wulfric

Faith Quote: "When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom." - Proverbs 11:2

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 (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). Mt 28:19.

Mark 7:37 (Use Your Voice)

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

They were exceedingly astonished and they said, "He has done all things well. He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak." ~ Mark 7:37 (full readings)

Rosemary's Reflections: Have you seen the news lately? With all the new pro-life issues receiving media coverage (Komen and Planned Parenthood, Obama's birth control mandate, etc.), it's getting people talking...on both sides. People spend so much time reading and posting on social networking sites, they could make their own countries. Comments made on Facebook and Twitter have now become powerful enough to change the mind of Komen to defund Planned Parenthood. With the tides shifting daily and unborn lives on the line, now is NOT the time to stay silent. Don't think just because you are one person, you can't make a difference. One raindrop is all it takes to make a ripple. Spread the pro-life message any way you can, as much as you can!

Faith Challenge: Are you in the loop? What is your grade on current events and communication? Knowledge is power, especially in these times of spiritual warfare. Educate yourself, then if you have Facebook or Twitter, post something pro-life to help educate others.

Sr. Francelle's Devotion: Love

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

Our Prayers: Prayer to end abortion. LIFE Runners Creed. Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, etc. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.

Feast Day: St. Scholastica

Faith Quote: "The world is very different now. For man holds in his mortal hands the power to abolish all forms of human poverty, and all forms of human life." ~ John F. Kennedy

Through Christ Our Lord,
Rosemary
2 Tim 4:7

* 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). Mt 28:19.