Our Main Sponsor

Thursday, January 24, 2008

FULL-COURT PRESS - One Bread, One Body, 1/24/2008

Listen to today's Daily Bread radio program entitled "Be a David". Father
Lauer encourages us to be available to the Lord like David.

http://www.presentationministries.com/dbread/dbread.asp?pubID=1386
-----------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday, January 24, 2008, St. Francis de Sales

1 Samuel 18:6-9; 19:1-7, Psalm 56, Mark 3:7-12
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/012408.shtml

FULL-COURT PRESS

"My adversaries trample upon me all the day." —Psalm 56:3

Jesus was almost pushed into the Sea of Galilee by the press of the crowd.
He had to get into a fishing boat to protect Himself. "All who had
afflictions kept pushing toward Him to touch Him. Unclean spirits would
catch sight of Him, fling themselves at His feet, and shout" (Mk 3:10-11).
Jesus had a serious problem with crowd control. "It was no longer possible
for Jesus to enter a town openly. He stayed in desert places; yet people
kept coming to Him from all sides" (Mk 1:45).

Sometimes the crowd of thousands that gathered to hear Jesus was "so dense
that they were treading on one another" (Lk 12:1). Jesus was so pressed in
by the crowd that it was impossible to even get any food to Him (Mk 3:20).
In addition to pressure from crowds and demons, Jesus "was deeply grieved"
that the religious leaders "had closed their minds against Him" (Mk 3:5),
for the Pharisees and Herodians were plotting "how they might destroy Him"
(Mk 3:6).

If overwhelming crowds, shouting demons, and hateful plots weren't enough,
Jesus' family "came to take charge of Him, saying, 'He is out of His
mind'; while the scribes who arrived from Jerusalem asserted, 'He is
possessed by Beelzebul' " (Mk 3:21-22).

The superabundant love of Jesus' heart for all of us pressed on Him from
within. His indescribable love for each of us pressed Him to the wood of
the cross more than did the nails in His hands and feet. So press on and
carry the Good News of Jesus, Lord and Savior, to a hurting, depressed
world.


Prayer: Father, thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your "Son,
that whoever believes in Him may not die but may have eternal life" (Jn
3:16).

Promise: "He had cured many." —Mk 3:10

Praise: St. Francis de Sales' Introduction to the Devout Life is still
prophetic after four hundred years.


-----------------------------------------------------------------

Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant my
permission to publish "One Bread, One Body" covering the period from
December 1, 2007 through January 31, 2008
†Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July
30, 2007

The rescript is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be
free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have
granted ecclesial permission agree with the contents, opinions, or
statements expressed.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB
eBook edition, and an online donation form at
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Copyright © 2008 Presentation Ministries

To add your e-mail address to this list go to
http://www.presentationministries.com/general/emailList.asp

To remove your e-mail address from this list go to
http://www.presentationministries.com/general/emailList.asp?mode=r

No comments:

Post a Comment