"Grandparents" at:
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Pope Benedict XVI, Shepherd of Truth is designed as a bulletin insert
which you can use at your local church to keep up to date on what the Holy
Father is saying. You are free to reproduce it for this purpose.
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Friday, June 13, 2008, St. Anthony of Padua
1 Kings 19:9, 11-16, Psalm 27, Matthew 5:27-32
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/readings/061308.shtml
FIGHT FIRE WITH FIRE
"Anyone who looks lustfully at a woman has already committed adultery with
her in his thoughts." —Matthew 5:28
We who live in the "culture of death" are caught in a raging war for
control of our senses. We are continually bombarded with sexual
sensationalism. This is a serious problem, because we need to avoid sexual
fantasies so as to avoid the possibility of punishment in everlasting fire
(see Mt 5:30).
How can we possibly avoid these "near occasions of sin"? We can't drive
anywhere without seeing huge billboards flaunting scantily clad women or
men. On this spring day in June, the skin displays are even worse on the
beaches than on the billboards. To avoid sights which could lead to
temptation, we would have to be blind! (Mt 5:29)
Let's fight fire with fire. Being in extreme danger calls for extreme
actions. If the TV is your problem, cast it out — into the trash. Better
to lose a few hundred dollars than your eternal soul. If movies are your
problem, cut them out. Better to sit at home than to have your soul rot.
If billboards are your problem, pray for those who create them instead of
fantasizing about those who appear on them. If beaches are your problem,
don't go. Find some "living water" in which to immerse yourself (Jn
7:38).
Ask the Holy Spirit to fill you. Remember, the Spirit fights against the
flesh (Gal 5:17). "My point is that you should live in accord with the
Spirit and you will not yield to the cravings of the flesh" (Gal 5:16).
Prayer: Jesus, purify my heart, my eyes, and my mind. I want to be pure as
You are pure (1 Jn 3:3).
Promise: "I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of
the living." —Ps 27:13
Praise: St. Anthony, a teacher, preacher, reformer, and miracle worker,
received the fire of the Holy Spirit in such proportion that churches
couldn't hold all that came to hear him preach.
(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant my
permission to publish "One Bread, One Body" covering the period from June
1, 2008 through July 31, 2008
†Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati, January 4, 2008
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.
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