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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,

so must the Son of Man be lifted up,

that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”

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– John 3:14-15 (NRSV)

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REFLECTION…

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Christ on the Cross is the salvation of the human race,

the remedy for all our ills.

He went voluntarily to Calvary,

so that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life,

so that He might draw all men to Himself.

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For God’s people, the “serpents” and the poison

are much the same today as they were in Moses day:

selfishness, sensuality, laziness,

doctrinal errors and confusion,

envy, slander, calumny…

These are the enemies of the grace we receive at Baptism,

constantly threatening to stop it, to destroy it.

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We Christians must seek the remedy and the antidote for this poison

in the only place that it is to be found:

in Jesus Christ

and in His saving doctrine.

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That is why,

if we truly want to reach the Promised Land that comes at the end of this short journey,

we must not cease from contemplating Jesus raised above the earth on the Cross.

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And as we do not want to reach our destination alone,

we will strive to get many others to look at Jesus,

in whom is salvation.

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Only if we have great piety

will we be strong against the harassment of a world

which seems to want to separate itself more and more from God,

dragging with it anyone who is not on firm and sure ground.

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Look at Jesus, therefore.

Place before your eyes His most Holy Humanity,

contemplate Him in the Mysteries of the Holy Rosary,

in the Way of the Cross,

in the scenes that the Gospels narrate for us,

or in the Tabernacle.

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Never turn your gaze away from God

and grow in fortitude through your loving and constant conversation with Jesus,

through prayer,

through keeping the presence of God throughout the day,

and through your visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

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Our Lord Jesus is not only the remedy for our weakness;

He is also our Love and our Light.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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Stay with me, O Love Divine,

because when You are not with me, darkness falls.

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… … … … … … … … … … … …… …

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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.