January 16
"Blessed are those that hunger and thirst for justice,
for they shall have their fill."
-Matthew 5:6
Today's Reflection:
We must do more than agree with Church teaching on issues. We must form our conscience according to them, and we must let Church teaching move us forward with faith and confidence into the public square to proclaim the truth at every opportunity. How do your actions indicate your beliefs about the sanctity of life? How can you bring greater justice into the contemporary culture?
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January 15
"As long as matters are really hopeful, hope is a mere flattery or platitude; it is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength at all. Like all the Christian virtues, it is as unreasonable as it is indispensable."
-G.K. Chesterton
Today's Reflection:
There is no hope without uncertainty. Perilous times, difficult circumstances, tenuous situations, and heartrending trials form the crucible in which hope is tested, refined, purified, and proven. Ponder this fact? How does it speak to you in your current circumstances?
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January 14
"We have to uphold the right of all men to live, to own what is necessary to lead a dignified existence, to work and to rest, to choose a particular state in life, to form a home, to bring children into the world within marriage and to be allowed to educate them, to pass peacefully through times of sickness and old age, to have access to culture, to join with other citizens to achieve legitimate ends, and, above all, to enjoy the right to know and love God in perfect liberty."
-St. Josemaria Escriva
Today's Reflection:
How are you actively participating in activities that speak for the poor, the weak, the disenfranchised, and the forgotten? During this week when we uphold the dignity of all human life, especially the unborn,
how can you do more?
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January 13
"We need heralds of the Gospel who are experts in humanity, who know the depths of the heart of many today, who share in his hopes and joys, his worries and his sadness, and at the same time are contemplatives, in love with God. For this, new saints are needed."
-St. John Paul II
Today's Reflection:
God has given us life at this time to be the "new saints" and the "new evangelizers" who will proclaim His love to the world.
How is God calling you to fulfill this very mission in your own life?
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January 12
"Holy Baptism is the basis of the whole Christian life, the gateway to life in the Spirit...and the door that gives access to the other sacraments."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 1213
Today's Reflection:
In what specific ways can you lie the grace of your Baptism?
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January 11
"In the long run, is there any other way of handing on the Gospel than by transmitting to another person one's personal experience of faith?"
-Evangelii Nuntiandi 46
Today's Reflection:
Personal testimony remains the most effective means of evangelization. Through it we inform, instruct, and insure others with the truths of Sacred Scripture and the teachings of the Catholic Church.
What does your personal testimony say? Are you ready to share it this week?
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January 10
"Sin makes men accomplices of one another and causes concupiscence, violence, and injustice to reign among them."
-Catechism of the Catholic Church 1869
Today's Reflection:
Each person who sins cooperates in bringing suffering to the world. To what extent do you give in to temptation and sin?
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January 9
"For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching,
but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own liking, and will turn away from listening
to the truth and wander into myths."
-2 Timothy 4:3-4
Today's Reflection:
In light of this passage, how should we evaluate what is presented to us from the vantage point of our Catholic Faith. Are you currently influenced negatively by things in your life that are contrary to our Faith? What are those things?
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January 8
"Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
-James 4:7
Today's Reflection:
Anytime we are serious about our relationship with God, we can be certain that Satan will try to dissuade us in every way possible. He will taunt us, tempt us, and try us in an effort to make us give up and give in. What are your biggest distractions? How is God calling you to remain faithful to your time of prayer?
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January 7
"The chief exercise of prayer is to speak to God and to hear God speak in the bottom of your heart."
-St. Francis de Sales
For Reflection
Prayer is a gateway to intimacy with our Creator and Lord. Through it, we find fellowship with Him. What effect does such an interaction have?
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