16 Nov Angels Will Go Before You (Ex 23:23) by Bishop Paprocki
See, I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. ~ Ex 23:23
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Reflection: By now, our LIFE Runners Team should be prepared physically and mentally to run the Philadelphia Marathon in just a few days! But there are a few more steps needed to make sure that we are properly prepared spiritually. The greatest obstacle to success is sloth. The capital sin of sloth refers to a spiritual sluggishness also known as acedia, which refuses the joy that comes from God and is repelled by divine goodness. The word acedia (pronounced ə-sē’dē-ə) captures the more profound meaning of the spiritual reality than the commonly-used word sloth. The reason acedia is so deadly is that this capital sin creates a void at the center of our being that we try to fill with transitory rushes of pleasure—primarily sexual—hence, its connection to other deadly sins such as lust and vices such as pornography. But these pleasures can never fill the void created by the loss of our transcendent calling to the love and friendship of God. That is why such vices are so addictive, because they never leave us satisfied, and this vicious circle of unfulfilled compulsion ultimately leads to acedia’s most dangerous offshoot: despair. The devil uses the despair of acedia to tempt us to doubt our ability to achieve our aspirations, whether that is to fight abortion effectively or to finish a marathon successfully. That is why we need the help of our Holy Guardian Angels, to lead us and to guard us from the onslaughts of the Evil One.
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Challenge: Pray. “All-powerful and all-loving God, I praise you for your goodness and the gift of your creation. Thank you for the abilities you have given me and for your help in my training which has brought me this far. Be with me and my fellow runners in this marathon. Send your angels to lift our legs, to make swift our feet, and to guard us from injury. Help us to do our best so that our accomplishments will bring glory and honor to your name, O God, forever and ever. Amen.”
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Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion.
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Inspiration: “LIFE Runners, with such a mission to defend the least of these, and with such a message on your jersey [REMEMBER The Unborn – Jer 1:5], know that you will be surrounded by Saints and Angels.” ~ Bishop Paprocki, 2011 Kansas City Marathon pre-race banquet, Video
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All In Christ for Pro-Life,
+Bishop Paprocki
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* Bishop Thomas John Paprocki serves the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. He raced the 2011 Kansas City Marathon and 2012 St. Louis Marathon with LIFE Runners. Bishop Paprocki will race the 2016 Philadelphia Marathon with LIFE Runners on Nov 20th.