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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“You must be perfect

– just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

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– Matthew 5:48 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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We are all called to holiness,

all of us, without distinction of social standing, age, background, etc,

in each one’s walk of life.

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“You must be perfect

– just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

Christ expects a serious determination on our part

to struggle for holiness.

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There are no followers of Christ who are not personally called to sanctity,

and if we are to reach this goal,

we will need to make an effort

that will last for the whole of our life on this earth.

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God calls all of us who are Christians

to find Him where we are,

as we carry out their occupations in the midst of our world.

He calls us

to carry out that very task with human perfection,

and at the same time with a supernatural outlook.

We are called to offer it to God;

to live charity with the people around us;

to do penance and sacrifice;

to live in the presence of God.

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Do I thank the Lord often enough

for calling me to follow Him closely so as to be like Him and love like Him?

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Do I respond to the many graces I have received

by continuously and rigorously struggling to acquire the virtues of faith, hope and charity?

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Am I on my guard against excessive comfort seeking,

which kills off any desire for sanctity

and leaves the soul submerged in spiritual mediocrity?

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“You must be perfect

– just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”

It is not enough to be merely good

– we have to make a determined effort to be saints.

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QUOTE…

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“All the faithful,

whatever their condition or state – though each in his own way –

are called by the Lord to that perfection of sanctity

by which the Father Himself is perfect.”

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– Second Vatican Council, Lumen gentium, 11

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Breathe in me, O Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy.
Act in me, O Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy.
Draw my heart, O Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy.
Strengthen me, O Holy Spirit, to defend all that is holy.
Protect me, O Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.
Amen.

… … … … … … … … … … … …… …

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Note: The main source of today’s REFLECTION is the seven-volume work

“In Conversation with God” by Padre Francisco Fernández Carvajal.