My Angel Will Go Before You (Ex 23:23) by Bishop Paprocki

02 Oct My Angel Will Go Before You (Ex 23:23) by Bishop Paprocki

Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB).  Leaders.  Guest Authors.
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“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) (full readings)
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Bishop Paprocki’s Reflections:  By now, our LIFE Runners Team should be prepared physically and mentally to run the Crazy Horse 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, whose feast day we celebrate today, to lead us and to guard us from the onslaughts of the Evil One.
* Bishop Thomas John Paprocki is the Bishop of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois and National LIFE Runners Team Chaplain. He has run 19 marathons, including the Kansas City Marathon in 2011 and the St. Louis Marathon in 2012 with the LIFE Runners. He and his brother Joe recently published a book on sports and faith called, Holy Goals for Body and Soul: Eight Steps to Connect Sports with God and Faith. https://www.avemariapress.com/product/1-59471-366-9/Holy-Goals-for-Body-and-Soul/.
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Faith Challenge:  Bishop Paprocki’s Prayer before running a marathon:  “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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Counter-Culture News:  LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel.
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Our Prayers:  Pray LIFE Runners Creed to end abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  Feast of the Guardian Angels.
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Faith Quote:  “I ask that you live your sport as a gift from God, an opportunity not only to bring your talents to fruition, but also as a responsibility.  Dear players, I want especially to remind you that the way you behave, both on the field and off it, in life, is an example.” ~ Pope Francis to Argentine and Italian soccer players, August 13, 2013
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Through Christ Our Lord,
+Bishop Paprocki
Heb 12:1-2