14 Jun My Brother’s Keeper (Mt 5:21-22) by Sarah Swaykus
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“You have heard that it was said to the men of old, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be liable to the hell of fire.” ~ Matthew 5:21-22 (full readings)
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Sarah’s Reflections: In the passage above, Jesus reveals to us that murder, the greatest offense against life, is rooted in anger. And though I have never committed murder, I have definitely been angry, and certainly called many a fool. We should all guard our hearts: the danger of the culture of death does not abide so far from us, outside in the culture around us; rather, it is rooted in original sin and much closer to our hearts than we would like to think. We are all called to a great and profound mystery: to participate in God’s love, toward Him and toward our fellow man. Let us be diligent in guarding our hearts against anger (and I need to take my own advice); so that, unlike Cain, the first murderer, we will not respond with disdain to God’s call, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Rather, filled with Jesus’ love, we can say, “Yes, I am my brothers’ keeper. I am not indifferent to the plight of those around me.”
* Sarah (LIFE Runner, St. Peters, MO Chapter) works for the Respect Life Apostolate for the Archdiocese of St. Louis. She is grateful for the generous way that God has blessed her life through her small “yes” to running as a prayer for women in crisis pregnancies.
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Faith Challenge: We are called to be witnesses to life in how we treat one another. Let us be ministers of Christ’s love in His peace, that when people see us, they see Him. That we can say with St. Paul, “…it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me”; and with John the Baptist, “He must increase, but I must decrease.” On our own power, we can do nothing. In Christ Jesus, we can do all things! Whether it be to run a half marathon (God-willing) and offer it to the Lord or to treat my brother and sister today with love.
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Counter-Culture News: LSN, LifeNews, Priests for Life, AFA,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. Albert Chmielowski.
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Faith Quote: “We can do no great things; only small things with great love.” ~ Blessed Teresa of Calcutta
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“Every individual, precisely by reason of the mystery of the Word of God who was made flesh (cf. Jn 1:14), is entrusted to the maternal care of the Church. Therefore every threat to human dignity and life must necessarily be felt in the Church’s very heart; it cannot but affect her at the core of her faith in the Redemptive Incarnation of the Son of God, and engage her in her mission of proclaiming the Gospel of life in all the world and to every creature (cf. Mk 16:15).” ~ Blessed John Paul II, Evangelium Vitae 3
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Through Christ our Lord,
Sarah
Jer 1:5
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* Pray/Fast: Prayer connects us with God’s will and 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 (and families): Abortion (images) is #1 death cause (22% pregnancies). Prov 24:11 and 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 and re-evangelization of self, by way of prayer (relationship) and following Christ’s example of love (service/sacrifice/mercy). Matt 28:19.