Living Faith snippets: "As it turned out, of course, almost all of Jesus' disciples betrayed him, at least in the sense that they ran away and left him to his cruel fate. Judas did the dirty work in the most direct sense, yes. But when those who felt threatened by Jesus came for him, the men who were Jesus' closest companions turned tail and ran like startled rabbits. So when each one asked, "Surely it is not I, Lord?" Jesus could have said, "Yes, it is." So it went with Jesus' disciples, and so it goes with us as well. We may not betray Jesus in big, noticeable ways. But we do betray him in smaller, personal ways whenever we fail to live up to what Christian discipleship requires of us in our own time and place." by Mitch Finley
Rich's comments: Peter and Judas both betrayed Jesus, but they chose different ways to reconcile themselves. Peter was sorry for his sins and continued to be a follower of Christ becoming the foundation of the Christian Church. Judas on the other hand was sorry for what he had done ("I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." Matthew 27:4), but instead of choosing Jesus (eternal life), he chose death (suicide). As with Jesus' disciples, we too have betrayed Him. It is not a question of whether we will betray Jesus (fail to live as a disciple of Christ), but what we do as a result of our sins. This Easter, choose Christ, for He has already chosen you.
Faith Challenges: Let's generously share the LIFE Group by forwarding devotions or using the Facebook "invite people" link.
* NEW: In what ways have you betrayed Jesus? How do you show Jesus that you are sorry? Please consider sharing your devotion thoughts on the Facebook page, to be appreciated by many.
* NEW: Read Sr. Francelle's devotion that outlines the richness of Holy Week (Easter Joy).
Counter-Culture News: 40 Days for Life, 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: March 31 Marks Fifth Annual National Memorial for 'Terri’s Day'
Our Prayers: Those who pray together stay together, and close to God (footnotes). Peters family (JP), Prayer to end abortion, Stephanie Kemp (special intention), Pat Castle (Uncle Jim Castle with blood clots).
Faith Quote: "Let us celebrate the feast not with the old yeast, that of corruption and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor 5:8).
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).
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