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If faith is the gaze of the heart at God, and if this gaze is but the raising of the inward eyes to meet the all-seeing eyes of God, then it follows that it is one of the easiest things possible to do.
- A. W. Tozer (1897-1963), The Pursuit of God
(Get in touch with the God-ward intent of your heart, and return to it throughout the day.)
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IS 48:17-19; PS 1:1-2, 3, 4 AND 6
MT 11:16-19
Jesus said to the crowds:
"To what shall I compare this generation?
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
'We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.'
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
'He is possessed by a demon.'
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
'Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.'
But wisdom is vindicated by her works."
USCCB lectionary
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Reflection on the Scripture
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"Their name never cut off or blotted out from My presence..." —Isaiah 48:19
When we decide to commit our lives to Jesus and express our faith through Baptism, our names are inscribed in the book of the living. This decision to accept Christ is more important than anything else in life. Jesus said: "Do not rejoice so much in the fact that the devils are subject to you as that your names are inscribed in heaven" (Lk 10:20).
On Judgment Day, anyone whose name is "not found inscribed in the book of the living" will be hurled into the pool of fire (Rv 20:15). However, once our names are in the book, they can be erased. Our names can be cut off and blotted out from His presence (cf Is 48:19). "The Lord answered, 'Him only who has sinned against Me will I strike out of My book' " (Ex 32:33; see also Ps 69:29). However, if we are
victorious over the temptations of the evil one, our names will never be erased. Jesus promised: "The victor shall go clothed in white. I will never erase his name from the book of the living, but will acknowledge him in the presence of My Father" (Rv 3:5).
Twelve days from today will be Christmas. Will you celebrate Christ and Christmas eternally or choose by sin to be erased? Make this Christmas last forever. "Be solicitous to make your call and election permanent, brothers; surely those who do so will never be lost. On the contrary, your entry into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be richly provided for" (2 Pt
1:10-11).
Prayer: Jesus, may I never erase You from any part of my life.
Promise: "Time will prove where wisdom lies." —Mt 11:19
Presentation Ministries
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Abandonment to Divine Providence
- by Jean-Pierre de Caussade
BOOK II,
CHAPTER I. ON THE NATURE AND EXCELLENCE OF THE STATE OF ABANDONMENT
SECTION VIII. God reigns in a pure heart.
All the treasures of grace are the fruit of purity of heart and perfect abandonment.
Let us go, then, let us run and fly to that ocean of love by which we are attracted! What are we waiting for? Let us start at once, let us lose ourselves in God, even in His heart, to become inebriated with the wine of His charity. We shall find in His heart the key of heavenly treasures. Let us begin at once our journey to Heaven. There is no passage that we cannot discover, nothing is shut against us, neither
the garden, nor the cellar, nor the vineyard. If we desire to breathe the fresh country air, we can go on our own feet and return when we please. With this key of David we can enter and depart; it is the key of science, and of that abyss in which are contained all the hidden treasures of divine Wisdom. With this heavenly key we also open the gates of mystical death with its sacred darkness. By it also we descend into the deep pools and into the den of lions. By it souls are thrust into those
obscure prisons from whence they emerge unscathed. By it we are introduced into that joyful place where light and understanding have their dwelling, where the Spouse takes the midday rest in the open air, and where He reveals the secrets of His love to faithful souls.
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