God’s Glorious Design (Jn 15:4) by Adriana Gonzalez

01 May God’s Glorious Design (Jn 15:4) by Adriana Gonzalez

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me.” ~ Jn 15:4 (full readings)
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Adriana’s Reflections: What does it mean to be pro-life? “Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God” (Evangelium Vitae). God’s plan to share His divinity with us is precisely what makes human life sacred. So as we fight for an end to abortion, we must remember that our battle is not only about earthly life, it is about eternal life. It is about remaining in Him, so that we can be alive and bear much fruit, as mentioned in today’s Gospel.  If we remain in Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Lord and Giver of life, comes to live in us, and we become temples of God’s life-giving presence! It is no wonder that the enemy of life seeks to destroy God’s presence in us. It’s no surprise that he looks for ways to deceive us and promote his culture of death. His lies come in many flavors, but so often his weapon of choice is sexual immorality. Why? Scripture tells us: “Shun immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is temple of the Holy Spirit within you?” (I Cor 6:18-19). Sexual sin attacks the very dwelling place of God. It creates an obstacle to God’s life-giving presence in us.  And as we connect the dots, we see that human sexuality outside of God’s glorious design of marriage not only hinders spiritual life, but also physical life. Sexuality outside of God’s plan lays the foundation for abortion. A society that embraces a right to sex [without responsibility] consequently denies an unborn child’s right to life. Sin gives birth to death (Jas 1:15). But God calls us to something different. He says, “You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (I Cor  6:19-20). Surrendering to Christ gives birth to life (Jas 1:18)! Jesus gives us life, both physical and eternal. And in His love, He calls us to Him and says, “Remain in me, as I remain in you.” We must strive to remain firmly attached to Jesus, as branches to the Vine that gives them life.
* Adriana Gonzalez and her husband Manny are the founders of Catholics Called to Witness (www.cc2w.org) and co-produced the viral Test of Fire election video.  They have been married for 22 years and have 7 beautiful children.
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Faith Challenge: Are we taking the time each day to embrace the totality of the pro-life message by seeking the presence of God and connecting with Him in personal prayer?
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Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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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.
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Feast Day: St. Joseph the Worker
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Faith Quote: “Man is called to a fullness of life which far exceeds the dimensions of his earthly existence, because it consists in sharing the very life of God.”  – John Paul II (Evangelium Vitae)
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Through Christ our Lord,
Adriana
Mt 6:33