Saturday, November 19, 2016
Revelation 11:4-12, Psalm 144:1-2, 9-10, Luke 20:27-40
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/111916.cfm
COME TO THE WITNESS STAND
"These witnesses have power." -Revelation 11:6
What do you picture when you think of the Church? Do you think of a building, a group of people praying, or a family at table? St. John, in the book of Revelation, pictures the Church as being witnesses (Rv 11:5), people testifying personally and publicly to their relationship with Jesus.
John pictures the Church as witnesses because Jesus commanded us before His Ascension to be His witnesses (Acts 1:8). Thus, to be a witness is foundational and essential to being a Christian. Our faith in Jesus must be personal and publicly communicated, or we are involved in an aberration of Christianity. We are "under compulsion and have no choice" to witness to Jesus and publicly proclaim His Gospel (see 1 Cor 9:16). We are ruined if we don't preach it (see 1 Cor 9:16).
The Church of witnesses has been so powerful in changing the world that the term "witness" has come to mean "martyr," someone who has been killed because of his love for the Lord. Will you accept the Holy Spirit's power to love God so much that you will speak publicly of that love and even be martyred for that love? Will you choose to be a member of the Church by Jesus' standards? Witness for Jesus.
Prayer: Father, may our attitude toward witnessing not be clouded by fear but motivated by love.
Promise: They "are no longer liable to death. Sons of the resurrection, they are sons of God." -Lk 20:36
Praise: Sheila witnessed to her brother during a long family trip and he listened.
(For a related teaching on "Counter-Cultural", order, listen to or download our CD 17 A-3 or DVD 17A on our website or order our tape on audio AV 17 A-3 or video V 17A.)
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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, 2016 through November 30, 2016
?Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, March 31, 2016
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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