10 Dec Holy Way (Lk 5:18) by Dr. Rich Reich
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion(FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
“And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed; they were trying to bring him in and set [him] in his presence.” ~ Lk 5:18 (full readings)
Rich’s Reflections: The first reading in Isaiah speaks about a path that God has laid for us to follow; “a highway called the holy way; [where] no one unclean may pass over it” (Is 35:8). Jesus travels the unimaginable distance for us on this path from His heavenly throne to our front door on earth to reconcile us with God. To complete reconciliation with God, we need only to travel the short distance from our couch to our front door to let Jesus into our lives. For a person to travel such a short distance to open their heart to Jesus and reconcile with God would seem to be no problem at all; however, some people are unable to make this distance on their own. In today’s Gospel, a paralyzed man lying on a stretcher needed the assistance of others to be brought into the presence of the Lord (Lk 5:18). Some people are unable to make this journey (Is 35:9) on their own. Physically or spiritually speaking, they may be afraid (Is 35:4), feeble (Is 35:3), paralyzed (Lk 5:18), or blind (Is 35:5). Those of us who have already made this journey must help others to do so. Like the faith-filled stretcher-bearers (Lk 5:18-19), we must climb walls, open roofs, and bring others to reconciliation and forgiveness in Jesus (Lk 5:20). Lord, help me to bring others to You this Advent, especially those whose lives have been impacted by the tragedy of abortion. Amen.
* Dr. Rich Reich is the co-founder of the LIFE Group Devotions and the National LIFE Runners Team. He is married to Erica and lives in Satellite Beach, FL. Full bio.
Faith Challenge: Bring others to Jesus this Advent.
Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, 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: Saint Gregory III
Faith Quote: “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.
Through Christ our Lord,
* 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 (images) is #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.