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Friday, January 24, 1997

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St. Francis de Sales


Hebrews 8:6-13
Psalm 85
Mark 3:13-19

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his 12 and your 12

"He named twelve as His companions." —Mark 3:14

Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would make a new covenant with His people (Jer 31:31ff; Heb 8:8ff). The new covenant was established by Jesus' death and resurrection. We enter into it by being baptized into Jesus (see Rm 6:3). We live the new covenant by living our Baptisms, that is, by living in communion with the Lord and with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

When Jesus chose His twelve apostles (see Mk 3:14), He chose a small community of people with whom He shared His everyday life. We likewise need our own small community of twelve or so. As Jesus chose His twelve apostles, He will choose twelve brothers and sisters for us with whom we can live out our baptismal brotherhood and sisterhood in a practical way.

Without a small, Christ-chosen, baptismal community, we're probably not living the new covenant. We need practical, everyday Christian community as much as we need the parts of our own body. Pray for the Holy Spirit to direct you on how to make your baptismal covenant real. Then live the new covenant.

Prayer:  Father, may Acts 2:42 and 4:32 be true in my life.

Promise:  "I will forgive their evildoing, and their sins I will remember no more." —Heb 8:12

Praise:  Francis said: "I would rather account to God for too great gentleness than for too great severity."

Reference:  (For more teaching on this subject, order our books Introduction to Small Christian Communities and Building Small Christian Communities.)

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Edward J. Gratsch, June 20, 1996


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 26, 1996