Monday, November 18, 2013, Dedication of the Churches, of Sts. Peter & Paul, St. Rose Philippine Duchesne
1 Maccabees 1:10-15, 41-43, 54-57, 62-63, Psalm 119:53, 61, 134, 150, 155, 158, Luke 18:35-43
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111813.cfm
A SELLOUT CROWD
"They allied themselves with the Gentiles and sold themselves to wrongdoing." -1 Maccabees 1:15
In the town of my youth, a theater began to show movies featuring immoral content. Some godly men and women, including my father, staged regular public picketing of the theater in an attempt to persuade the crowds to reject these movies and thus force the owners to stop showing them. Dad's group was small but faithful. Sadly, the crowds kept coming, encouraging the ownership to increase, not decrease, their showing of objectionable movies. The owners and crowds made an alliance "and sold themselves to wrongdoing" (see 1 Mc 1:15).
This was over forty years ago. Dad saw the culture wars coming and fought the good fight (2 Tm 4:7). Most adults of his generation were blind to its significance and sold out. Since then, the American culture has deteriorated to the extent that prayer is not allowed in schools, abortion is legal and on demand, Sunday is no different than other days of the week, Christmas is now called "the holidays," network TV is raw sewage, etc.
Jesus wants to open our eyes to see the raging war between the kingdom of darkness and God's kingdom. He wants us to recognize our spiritual blindness and cry out to Him, "Lord...I want to see" (Lk 18:41). If we choose to stay comfortable and blind, selling out to the culture of death, our children and grandchildren may suffer horrors unthinkable to us now (see e.g. 1 Mc 1:60-61). The clock is ticking. What's your decision?
Prayer: Jesus, I make my alliance with You. I sell out to You. Use me as Your weapon for righteousness (Rm 6:13, RNAB).
Promise: "Your faith has healed you." -Lk 18:42
Praise: Sts. Peter and Paul, fisherman and tentmaker, became the great apostles to the Jews and Gentiles, respectively (see Gal 2:7-9).
(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 October 1, 2013 through November 30, 2013
?Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, May 22, 2013
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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