20 Mar Sin No More (Jn 8:34) by Angela Engelsen
Welcome God now with this LIFE Group Devotion (FB), provided by LIFE Runners (FB). Leaders. Guest Authors.
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“Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin.” ~ Jn 8:34 (full readings)
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Angela’s Reflections: “Rise up, take your mat, and walk . . . do not sin any more.” Jesus’ words in the Gospels should resonate with us today, particularly during this season of Lent. While we may or may not be suffering from a physical ailment or impairment, sin spiritually impairs our lives. What a great gift, then, that Christ gives us in this sacrament of Penance, forgiving our sins and bestowing His mercy and love upon us. Through the words of His priest, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,” Christ spiritually heals us and tells us, “Rise up, take your mat, walk, and sin no more. I love you, follow me, and be my hands and feet in this world, particularly for those of my children who the world does not acknowledge and value – the unborn, the disabled, the elderly, the infirm.” Christ’s Bride, the Church, gives us this beautiful season as a special time for prayer, penance, and almsgiving. It is a time for personal conversion and to come closer to the Jesus. Through these final days of Lent, may we be open to God’s grace to be transformed by Christ Crucified and to rise up and walk with Him, who is the Author of Life.
* Angela Engelsen, J.D., is the Associate Director of the Center for Ethics and Culture at the University of Notre Dame where she focuses on pro-life initiatives, include the Notre Dame Vita Institute.
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Faith Challenge: Make a good examination of conscience and go to confession, before Easter if possible. After performing the penance assigned by the priest, offer a prayer of thanksgiving and seek the Lord’s guidance on how He is calling you to walk with Him.
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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. Salvator of Horta.
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Faith Quote: “There are times when the burden of need and our own limitations might tempt us to become discouraged. But precisely then we are helped by the knowledge that, in the end, we are only instruments of the
Lord’s hands; and this knowledge frees us from the presumption of thinking that we alone are personally responsible for building a better world. In all humility we will do what we can, and in all humility we will entrust the rest to the Lord.” Deus Caritas Est, No. 35