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Saturday, September 19, 2009

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St. Januarius


1 Timothy 6:13-16
Psalm 100:1-5
Luke 8:4-15

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charge it

"I charge you to keep God's command without blame or reproach until our Lord Jesus Christ shall appear. This appearance God will bring to pass at His chosen time." —1 Timothy 6:14-15

Paul said: "I have a solemn charge to give you, Timothy, my child" (1 Tm 1:18). He charged Timothy to be fully aware that Jesus could return at any time, and to preach the word accordingly. "In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, Who is coming to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingly power, I charge you to preach the word" (2 Tm 4:1-2).

If you knew for sure Jesus would be coming back today, would you do anything differently? Hopefully, you would not need to make any changes. The Lord calls us to be so conscious of His Second Coming that we live each day as if it were our last. We are called to do the Lord's will all day, every day, and that's the way to be prepared for His coming.

Are you charged up about Jesus' Second Coming? Are you looking forward to seeing Him face to face? Do you wish Jesus would come back today? True disciples of Jesus over the centuries have been excited about Jesus' return. They love Jesus and want to see Him. Let's charge each other to run the race and fight the fight of the Christian life because Jesus is coming "soon and very soon" (see 2 Tm 4:8).

Prayer:  Jesus, may I want to see You more than I want to see the person I love most in this world.

Promise:  "The seed on good ground are those who hear the word in a spirit of openness, retain it, and bear fruit through perseverance." —Lk 8:15

Praise:  When they were thrown into the arena, the wild animals wouldn't touch St. Januarius or his two companions.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our leaflet Be Holy, for I Am Holy.)

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, February 11, 2009

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