Matthew 5:44 (Love is stronger than hate)

* Welcome God every morning before work by taking ~5 min to read this Living In Faith Exchange (LIFE) Group devotion (life-devotions.blogspot.com), which has snippets from Living Faith (livingfaith.com).

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you … Matthew 5:44

Living Faith snippets: “Jesus does not say we are to remain in a situation where we are “persecuted.” What he does tell us is to remember divine love is stronger than the desire to hate. We are to love and pray for those who seek to wound us. With God’s grace, we can keep revenge from shaping our heart into stony hostility and angry resentment.” by Sr. Joyce Rupp

Rich’s comments: The gospel passage today tells us that our morals must be different from those of the world. All people do good to those who do good to them. Pagans do that. But we are called to love our enemies, to do good to those who hate us, to pray for those who persecute us. Why? In order to show that we are children of God, whose most important attribute is mercy. At the end of the gospel passage occurs our primary directive and moral imperative: We are called to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect. Lord, open our souls to the inflowing of Your divine love until our souls are transformed into the very essence of Yourself. Then may we realize through faith that we are truly Your children and at-one with You in very substance and not in image only. Amen.

ProLife news: lifesitenews.com

Our Prayers: Abortion, our enemies, our troops, China earthquake, Myanmar cyclone, depression/despair, prisoners, Vicki Miller (her cancer treatment).

Faith quote: “Love means to commit oneself without guarantee, to give oneself completely in the hope that our love will produce love in the loved person. Love is an act of faith, and whoever is of little faith is also of little love.” by Erich Fromm

Rich

Romans 12:12

* Outreach: Let’s gladly invite those near us to join our LIFE Devotions group (Mark 16:15), providing routine spiritual connection and strength (simply forward a devotion with an invitation).
* Today’s Bible readings at www.usccb.org/nab/today.shtml.
* Prayer: Prayer connects us with God’s will & His miracles, thereby changing us & helping others. Wayne Watson lyrics, “When God’s people pray, there is hope reborn, there is sin forgiven, and miracles you can’t explain await!” “If you pray that God will move a mountain and He doesn’t, assume Christ wants you to climb it instead & see Him.”
* 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. Click for Prayer to End Abortion.
* Evangelization: Let’s make room for non-believers (be a friend, make a friend, lead 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.
Let’s joyfully live out the Good News and gladly tell others about it (Mark 16:15)!