Thursday, January 3, 2008

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Friday, 04 January 2008

First Letter of John 3,7-10.

Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning. Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the children of God and the children of the devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.


Psalms 98,1.7-8.9.

Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done marvelous deeds, Whose right hand and holy arm have won the victory.
Let the sea and what fills it resound, the world and those who dwell there.
Let the rivers clap their hands, the mountains shout with them for joy,
Before the LORD who comes, who comes to govern the earth, To govern the world with justice and the peoples with fairness.


Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint John 1,35-42.

The next day John was there again with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher), "where are you staying?" He said to them,"Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where he was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" (which is translated Anointed). Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Kephas" (which is translated Peter).

DESTROYER

"It was to destroy the devil's works that the Son of God revealed Himself." –1 John 3:8

Jesus came to this earth "to destroy the devil's works" (1 Jn 3:8). Satan's works cannot stand next to those of God. Anything built on a foundation based on evil must first be overturned and destroyed. Therefore, Jesus' initial work must be that of a demolition crew. First, He needs to clear the building site of the existing structure if it is not founded on Him (see 1 Cor 3:10-11). Only then will He lay a new foundation and build His kingdom.

Jesus is zealous for His house (Jn 2:17). He is determined to build things the right way, and so He'll have to rip out and cut down an unstable foundation (see Lk 13:9). He clears the ground (Mt 3:10) completely and thoroughly. Jesus intends to build His kingdom, and nothing will stand that opposes His work.

If anything in your life is opposed to God's kingdom, you don't have to wait. You can do some of the clearing yourself to prepare the way of the Lord. Ask Jesus to show you what needs to "go" in your life. Then "clear Him a straight path" (Lk 3:4) so that Jesus can spend His time doing the building.

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