Attend our upcoming Discipleship Retreat, "Christian Community and the Holy Spirit", Feb 21 - 22. For more information or to register visit http://www.presentationministries.com/general/event.asp?eventID=361
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Sunday, January 19, 2020, 2nd Sunday Ordinary Time
Isaiah 49:3, 5-6, 1 Corinthians 1:1-3, Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-10, John 1:29-34
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/011920.cfm
HOLINESS: THE MEANING OF LIFE
You "have been consecrated in Christ Jesus and called to be a holy people." -1 Corinthians 1:2
We are "called to be holy." God the Father wants His children to be, act, work, think, talk, love, and live as He does. This is the meaning of holiness: to be like God "in every aspect" of our conduct (1 Pt 1:15).
Holiness is a gift from the all-holy God. Only by His grace can we become holy. Holiness comes through the Holy Spirit, that is, the Spirit Who makes us holy. However, we must choose to accept the Spirit's gift of holiness.
Without holiness, "no one can see the Lord" (Heb 12:14), that is, go to heaven. Therefore, the Lord orchestrates the events and details of our lives to give us a greater desire for holiness. He even allows us to suffer sorrows and tragedies to help us grow in holiness. In other words, He gives us some purgatory before our deaths. Moreover, holiness is so necessary that the Lord will purify after death those committed to Him and delay their entry into heaven to complete their holiness, if they are not yet "perfect in holiness" (1 Thes 5:23). However, to benefit from the Lord's organization of our lives to foster our holiness, we must trust the Lord, humbly deny ourselves, and obey Him. Then we will desire more strongly to become holy. Thus will we become holy, be pleasing to the all-holy God, and live with Him and the holy ones forever in heaven.
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to give me love, which increases my desire for holiness.
Promise: "When you see the Spirit descend and rest on Someone, it is He Who is to baptize with the Holy Spirit." -Jn 1:33
Praise: The risen Jesus proclaims: "I am the Root and Offspring of David, the Morning Star shining bright" (Rv 22:16). Praise You, Jesus!
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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant the "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") for "One Bread, One Body" covering the period from December 1, 2019 through January 31, 2020
?Most Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Auxiliary Bishop, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 2, 2019
The "Nihil Obstat" ("Permission to Publish") 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 the "Nihil Obstat" agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.
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