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TRÁI TIM
MẸ: NƠI CON NƯƠNG NÁU - ĐƯỜNG ĐẾN VỚI CHÚA |
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"Chúa Giêsu muốn dùng con để làm
cho Mẹ được nhận biết và yêu mến" |
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November 24/2009 - Tuesday
of
34th Week of Ordinary Time
LITURGICAL/THEME MEDITATION:
"Take heed that you are not led
astray"
UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENT(S):
Cardinal Puljic on
Medjugorje: God Blesses Prayer
SAINT OF THE DAY
St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions
GENERAL
MARIOLOGY
Nativity of the
Virgin Mary
DIVINE MERCY
Divine Mercy: The Miracles
TEACHING/TESTIMONY/CONVICTION:
Lent: A Time for Renewal
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DAILY LITURGICAL MEDITATION |
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Tuesday (11/24): "Take heed that you are not
led astray"
Scripture: Luke 21:5-11
5 And as some spoke of the temple, how it was adorned with noble
stones and offerings, he said, 6 "As for these things which you see, the
days will come when there shall not be left here one stone upon another
that will not be thrown down." 7 And they asked him, "Teacher, when will
this be, and what will be the sign when this is about to take place?" 8
And he said, "Take heed that you are not led astray; for many will come
in my name, saying, `I am he!' and, `The time is at hand!' Do not go
after them. 9 And when you hear of wars and tumults, do not be
terrified; for this must first take place, but the end will not be at
once." 10 Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and
kingdom against kingdom; 11 there will be great earthquakes, and in
various places famines and pestilences; and there will be terrors and
great signs from heaven.
Meditation: How would you respond if someone prophesied that
your church or place of worship would be destroyed? In 1972 a violent
earthquake ripped through the center of Managua and destroyed the great
cathedral church. This was only the beginning of the troubles for the
tiny nation and Christian community of Nicaragua which suffered great
turmoil and loss in the civil war that ensued for more than a decade.
Out of the ashes of destruction and the ravages of communism has emerged
a humbler and more purified church. Jesus foretold many signs of God's
action and judgment. To the great consternation of the Jews, Jesus
prophesied the destruction of their temple at Jerusalem. The Jewish
people took great pride in their temple, a marvel of the ancient world.
The foretelling of this destruction was a dire judgment in itself. They
sought Jesus for a sign that would indicate when this would occur. Jesus
admonished them to not seek signs but rather to seek God's kingdom.
There will be plenty of signs – such as wars, famines, diseases, tidal
waves and earthquakes – pointing to God's ultimate judgment.
Jesus' prophecy is a two-edged sword, because it points not only to
God's judgment, but also to his saving action and mercy. Jesus foretells
the destruction of Jerusalem and the dire consequences for all who would
reject him and his saving message. While the destruction of Jerusalem's
temple was determined (it was razed by the Romans in 70 A.D.), there
remained for its inhabitants a narrow open door leading to deliverance.
Jesus says: "I am the door; whoever enters by me will be saved" (John
10:9). Jesus willingly set his face toward Jerusalem, knowing that he
would meet betrayal, rejection, and death on a cross. His death on the
cross, however, brought about freedom, peace, and victory over sin and
death – not only for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, but for all – both
Jew and Gentile alike – who would accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.
Do you know the peace and security of a life submitted to the lordship
of Jesus Christ?
An American judge, named Robert H. Bork, wrote a book a few decades
ago entitled, Slouching Towards Gomorrah. His message sounded an
alarm about the moral crisis and decay of culture which he saw in
Western society. We often don't recognize the moral crisis and spiritual
conflict of our age, until something "shakes us up" to the reality of
our present condition. The reward for doing what is right and just and
the penalty for sin and wrong-doing are not always experienced in this
life; but they are sure to come in the day of judgment. The Lord Jesus
tells us that there will be persecution, suffering, and difficulties in
this age until he comes again at the end of the world. God intends our
anticipation of his final judgment to be a powerful deterrent to
wrongdoing. God extends grace and mercy to all who will heed his call
and his warning. Do you take advantage of this season of grace and mercy
to seek God's kingdom and to pursue his will?
"Lord Jesus, your grace and mercy abounds even in the midst of
turmoil and destruction. Increase my hunger for your kingdom and help me
to be faithful to your word. May nothing, not even the fear of death or
the loss of all that I have, deter me from seeking you and the coming of
your kingdom with hope and joy."
Psalm 119:25-32
25 My soul cleaves to the dust; revive me according to thy word!
26 When I told of my ways, thou didst answer me; teach me thy statutes!
27 Make me understand the way of thy precepts, and I will meditate on
thy wondrous works.
28 My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to thy word!
29 Put false ways far from me; and graciously teach me thy law!
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before
me.
31 I cleave to thy testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!
32 I will run in the way of thy commandments when thou enlargest my
understanding!
www.dailyscripture.net
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UNIVERSAL CHURCH/WORLD EVENTS |
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Cardinal Puljic on Medjugorje: God Blesses Prayer
Sarajevo Archbishop Notes Hope for Vatican Commission
By Chiara Santomiero
ROME, NOV. 23, 2009 ( Zenit.org).- The president of the Bosnian episcopal conference has been in Rome, but not to discuss the controversy surrounding Medjugorje, as some reports have contended.
Instead, Cardinal Vinko Puljic participated last week in the plenary assembly of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, which focused on St. Paul and the "new areopagi."
The cardinal did talk to ZENIT about Medjugorje, affirming that the reports of apparitions there and the consequent popularity of the site for pilgrimages is a matter dealt with by the bishop of Mostar, Ratko Peric, and the Vatican Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
"As an episcopal conference, we await suggestions and proposals on how to proceed, and I believe the Holy See wants to carry on in this way," he added.
The 64-year-old cardinal referred back to a 1991 statement from what was then the Yugoslavian bishops' conference. That declaration notes that "nothing supernatural could be confirmed in what was happening, [and] affirmed the responsibility of parish priests and local bishops to pastorally assist all those who go there to pray," he recalled.
"I hope that the Holy See will give indications on confessions and Eucharistic celebrations," Cardinal Puljic added. "And perhaps also on the establishment of a commission that will follow the phenomenon, recording the contents of the apparitions and of the messages, keeping in mind that up to today there are more than 30,000."
Mary reportedly began appearing in Medjugorje almost 30 years ago. In June of 1984, six children of the little town of Medjugorje, located 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Mostar, said they had seen the Blessed Virgin on a nearby hill. Since then, the hamlet has become part of the world circuit of pilgrimages, drawing millions of people. Prayer meetings and associations of all kinds have started worldwide.
When Benedict XVI's secretary of state, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, was secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, he wrote a letter backing the 1991 Yugoslavian episcopal conference letter. That was more than a decade ago.
Then, in his book on the apparitions in Fatima, published in 2007, Cardinal Bertone reiterated that the Church has not made an official decision on the site, and that while official pilgrimages are not to be organized, private pilgrimages to Medjugorje are acceptable.
Certainly Medjugorje continues to attract thousands of pilgrims, acknowledged Cardinal Puljic.
"It's not a sin to pray," said the cardinal with a smile. "There are many beautiful presences that have generated conversions and priestly or religious vocations. They are the fruits of prayer: Wherever man prays with faith, God gives the fruits of his grace."
"To pray in Marian shrines is part of the identity of our Catholic faithful," the Bosnian cardinal affirmed. "In the course of the problematic events of our history, our people have met repeatedly in the different shrines of the region to ask for consolation, light and hope, and the Virgin is a sign for our faith."
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DAILY LITURGICAL SAINT |
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http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintofDay
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GENERAL
MARIOLOGY |
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Nativity of the Virgin Mary
The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew
Translation by Saint Jerome
CHAP. 23.--And
it came to pass, when the most blessed Mary went
into
the temple with the little child, that all the
idols prostrated themselves
on the ground, so that all of them were lying on
their faces shattered and
broken to pieces; [3] and thus they plainly
showed that they were nothing.
Then was fulfilled that which was said by the
prophet Isaiah: Behold, the
Lord will come upon a swift cloud, and will
enter Egypt, and all the
handiwork of the Egyptians shall be moved at His
presence. [4]
CHAP.
24.--Then Affrodosius, that governor of the
city, when news of
this was brought to him, went to the temple with
all his army. And the
priests of the temple, when they saw Affrodosius
with all his army coming
into the temple, thought that he was making
haste only to see vengeance
taken on those on whose account the gods had
fallen down. But when he came
into the temple, and saw all the gods lying
prostrate on their faces, he
went up to the blessed Mary, who was carrying
the Lord in her bosom, and
adored Him, and said to all his army and all his
friends: Unless this were
the God of our gods, our gods would not have
fallen on their faces before
Him; nor would they be lying prostrate in His
presence: wherefore they
silently confess that He is their Lord. Unless
we, therefore, take care to
do what we have seen our gods doing, we may run
the risk of His anger, and
all come to destruction, even as it happened to
Pharaoh king of the
Egyptians, who, not believing in powers so
mighty, was drowned in the sea,
with all his army. [5] Then all the people of
that same city believed in
the Lord God through Jesus Christ.
CHAP.
25.--After no long time the angel said to
Joseph: Return to the
land of Judah, for they are dead who sought the
child's life. [1]
CHAP.
26.--And it came to pass, after Jesus had
returned out of Egypt,
when He was in Galilee, and entering on the
fourth year of His age, that on
a Sabbath-day He was playing with some children
at the bed of the Jordan.
And as He sat there, Jesus made to Himself seven
pools of clay, and to each
of them He made passages, through which at His
command He brought water
from the torrent into the pool, and took it back
again. Then one of those
children, a son of the devil, moved with envy,
shut the passages which
supplied the pools with water, and overthrew
what Jesus had built up. Then
said Jesus to him: Woe unto thee, thou son of
death, thou son of Satan!
Dost thou destroy the works which I have
wrought? And immediately he who
had done this died. Then with great uproar the
parents of the dead boy
cried out against Mary and Joseph, saying to
them: Your son has cursed our
son, and he is dead. And when Joseph and Mary
heard this, they came
forthwith to Jesus, on account of the outcry of
the parents of the boy, and
the gathering together of the Jews. But Joseph
said privately to Mary: I
dare not speak to Him; but do thou admonish Him,
and say: Why hast Thou
raised against us the hatred of the people; and
why must the troublesome
hatred of men be borne by us? And His mother
having come to Him, asked Him,
saying: My Lord, what was it that he did to
bring about his death? And He
said: He deserved death, because he scattered
the works that I had made.
Then His mother asked Him, saying: Do not so, my
Lord, because all men rise
up against us. But He, not wishing to grieve His
mother, with His right
foot kicked the hinder parts of the dead boy,
and said to him: Rise, thou
son of iniquity for thou art not worthy to
enter into the rest of my
Father, because thou didst destroy the works
which I had made. Then he who
had been dead rose up, and went away. And Jesus,
by the word of His power,
brought water into the pools by the aqueduct.
CHAP.
27.--And it came to pass, after these things,
that in the sight
of all Jesus took clay froth the pools which He
had made, and of it made
twelve sparrows. And it was the Sabbath when
Jesus did this, and there were
very many children with Him. When, therefore,
one of the Jews had seen Him
doing this, he said to Joseph: Joseph, dost thou
not see the child Jesus
working on the Sabbath at what it is not lawful
for him to do? for he has
made twelve sparrows of clay. And when Joseph
heard this, he reproved him,
saying: Wherefore doest thou on the Sabbath such
things as are not lawful
for us to do? And when Jesus heard Joseph, He
struck His hands together,
and said to His sparrows: Fly! And at the voice
of His command they began
to fly. And in the sight and hearing of all that
stood by, He said to the
birds: Go and fly through the earth, and through
all the world, and live.
And when those that were there saw such
miracles, they were filled with
great astonishment. And some praised and admired
Him, but others reviled
Him. And certain of them went away to the chief
priests and the heads of
the Pharisees, and reported to them that Jesus
the son of Joseph had done
great signs and miracles in the sight of all the
people of Israel. And this
was reported in the twelve tribes of Israel.
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DIVINE MERCY
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Divine Mercy:
The Miracles
Stanley's
words:
"Before I will give my testimony, I just want to inform you that after what
happened to me, I was just going round giving my testimony in my own
dialect. You see, the Philippines is composed of more than seven hundred
islands and almost every island has different dialect. The Philippines is
divided into three major parts; Luzon, Mindano and Visayas. I belong to
Visayas because I am living in Cebu. So I was giving my testimony in Visayas
only, until one time Father Seraphim Mekalanco, the Spiritual Director of
the Divine Mercy nationwide invited me to give a talk in Manila. At first, I
am happy because I can go to Manila, but then a day before I was so worried
because I do not know how to speak the dialect, because in Manila the
dialect is Gallo and I do not know how to speak the Gallo. I was worried and
so I asked the Lord 'What shall I do?' Then the following day, early in the
morning Jesus appeared to me, to my dream and said:
"Do not worry. Just do your best and I shall do
the rest". So I went to Manila and when I am
holding the microphone to give my testimony, I am thinking my testimony in
my own local dialect, and it came out in the Gallo. So they understand me.
"And now comes Father Seraphim, the Head of the Divine Mercy International
based in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, U.S.A. He invited me to give a series
of talks in the United States, Canada and Mexico and the problem is, I do
not know how to speak the English. So again I was worried and because in
Cebu, the owner of the University is a Divine Mercy devotee, so he
instructed the English Department to translate my testimony from our local
dialect to English and after several months they finished the translation.
"They give it to me and it is as thick as this! And they said to me,
'Stanley you memorize that'. And, I said 'No. I cannot memorize it anymore'.
Then they said 'Ok you just read it' and I said, 'I cannot read it also
because it is my testimony, if I will read it, it will be lifeless.' So I
went to America leaving behind the translation and upon reaching the States
I confided to Father Seraphim everything, so Father Seraphim was so worried
because my first testimony will be at the National Shrine of the Immaculate
Conception in Washington, D.C. And I will be speaking together with Mother
Angelica, the audience is almost seven thousand. Father Seraphim was so
worried, so I told him, 'Father don't worry. Anyway, I did not come to
America to proclaim my mercy, I am here to proclaim God's Mercy'. So when I
was holding the microphone, I am thinking of my own local dialect, but then
it came out English and after that I already know how to speak English.
"What I am going to tell you is what happened to me. About my own personal
encounter with Jesus Christ of the Divine Mercy. When you hear my testimony,
I hope it will increase your faith, and that you know that there really is a
God and that God is a living God. What happened to me, happened on March 2,
1993. That was a Tuesday and a birthday of one of my children. By the way, I
had ten children, but now I have thirteen. And by the way, I am a member of
the Perpetual Dawn Rosary.
"It is our practice that whenever there is an occasion at our house, we
invite the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary and it is also our practice
that whenever the Virgin comes into our house it is I who has to receive the
Virgin. But on that day, when the Virgin is already in our house, whatever
they do to wake me up, I cannot be awaken, so it is my mother-in-law who
received the Virgin.
"At eight o'clock that morning, my mother-in-law said, she heard me moaning
and moaning. So she tried to look at me in my room and she found me lying in
bed. Trembling vigorously. Blood coming out of my mouth forcefully. And it
was the sister of my father-in-law, who is a nurse, was present, so attended
to me immediately. And as she touches my pulse, she cannot find any pulse
anymore - and as she touches my chest, my heart beat is already very slow.
And when they open my eyes, both eyes are already in white, so they asked
help from our neighbors and they brought me to Chong Hua Hospital. At Chong
Hua Hospital, we have four specialist doctors and the doctor said that my
chance of survival is one in a million, because my heart beat is already
slow.
"As I enter the Emergency Room I cannot breathe anymore, even with the help
of oxygen, so they transferred me to I.C.U. or the Intensive Care Unit, so
my breathing can be aided, or forcing oxygen inside. At the I.C.U. my
trembling did not stop and the blood was still coming out from my mouth, so
the doctor injected me with Valium to control everything.
"Because Negros Island and Cebu are just very near, so that day my relatives
arrive. Among them is my father who is a doctor and my sister who is also a
doctor and the cousin of my wife were already present. By the way, my wife
is also a nurse.
"The following day, the doctors called up my wife and asked her permission
to take me off of all the life support apparatus. So my wife called up our
house and asked that my long sleeve shirt, for my burial be prepared. And my
mother-in- law says she has a memorial plan and that her memorial plan is
transferable. So she had it transferred to my name. Meaning! I will be the
one using her coffin. And it also happened we had a reservation at the Queen
City Garden Cemetery in Cebu, because when my father-in-law died in 1987, we
bought three lots, so they process all the papers so they can bring me to
the Queen City Garden. Meaning, everything is already ready. I have the long
shirt to wear for my burial, I have already a coffin to sleep in, I have
already a cemetery to live in.
"But God had a different plan, because my wife did not agree to remove the
life support apparatus attached to my body. In fact my relatives, they take
in turns to watch over me. But it is only my body present at Chong Hua
Hospital, because I saw a light, a very big bright light, but not glaring.
You can stare at it. It is like a fountain. It is like a fog as it slowly
evaporates, until I notice someone is standing in front of me. And when I
look at His face, I recognize Him as Jesus.
"As we are looking at each other, He raised His left hand and when He raised
His left hand, the clouds above were sucked downwards and when they reach
just above us, the clouds keep on turning and changes in color and when it
stops it becomes like a video screen. And He showed me the film of my life,
from my childhood up to my present. And I notice that every time I do good,
it just goes on normally and I also notice that every time I commit a sin,
suddenly it would go into slow motion as if He wants to show us that what we
have done is wrong, as if He wants to show us that what we have done is a
sin. And because I have also committed bigger sins, sins like what we call
the mortal sin.
"Every time it shows up, suddenly it would stop, came closer and enlarged
it. Then I said to myself, 'Why should this be included? There must be no
word of sin saw in Heaven, because it is just too bad to look at, but even
if I closed my eyes I could still see it.
"Also I notice that every time I commit a sin, I could feel the heaviness. I
could feel the weight. The more I commit a sin, the more the heaviness, the
more the weight. And I also notice that every time I do good, for example,
if I give something to the poor, I could feel as if I were floating. So it
is really true what is written in the Bible,
'That what so every you do to the less of your brethren, that you do unto
Me." "And I also notice that the sins I did
not confess to a Priest it is too heavy, and also I notice that the sins
that I confessed to a Priest, it is lighter. And we cannot deny anything
because the screen is so big and very clear and also the pictures are also
big and below the pictures are written the day, the month, the date and the
year. And below that it is also written the hour, the minutes and the
seconds. So, we cannot deny anything, even the seconds are recorded. In
fact, He reviewed my film three times and after our long conversation, He
tapped my shoulder and as He was tapping my shoulder, He said to me,
'You go back now, because you still have so many
things to do. You still have so many things to finish. If I have something
for you or if I have a message for you, I will just appear to you in your
dream.'
"After He say that, I was at the I.C.U. of the Chong Hua Hospital. Suddenly
I got up. I could feel my body so light and my head suppressed. That when I
got up, I removed the oxygen from my nose. After removing oxygen, there is a
tube going down into my intestine, so I slowly remove the tube because it
tickles me. And after removing the tube, I slowly remove the I.V. from my
hand and because there is a nurse who saw everything, and that she was so
afraid that she ran away. In fact, she said, one of the heels of her shoes
was broken.
"When the nurse returns she has other nurses, doctors and the technicians,
they are all running and when they reach me, they put me to bed again. And
one of the doctors put on his telescope and examined me and after a short
examination, the doctor put off his telescope, put it beside him and he
asked for another. Meaning! He did not believe his telescope. He was given
another telescope and he put it on and re-examined me again and after a long
examination, the doctor looked at my E.C.G. because every bed in the I.C.U.
has its own E.C.G. And he said, since I was admitted at the I.C.U. my E.C.G.
was just a straight line, but now they were so surprised because my E.C.G.
was working normally and because the technicians were already present, so
they subjected me to X-rays, laboratory tests and brain scan. And now, all
the results are in negative, meaning, I am not sick.
"The doctors were all surprised and they asked permission to have another
set of examinations, because they said there might be something wrong with
the apparatus. We consented, and they subjected me again to another ultra
sound, laboratory tests and brain scan, all except the X-ray. And again, all
the results were in negative: meaning, I am not really sick. So the doctors
said 'There is nothing now that we can really do, it is already a miracle.'
"When I woke up, I woke up at eight o'clock in the morning of Friday. If you
will count from eight 'clock in the morning of Tuesday, to eight o'clock in
the morning to Friday, that is exactly three days. And because of that, the
media was alerted. The television, the radio and newspaper. And because our
Church, the Roman Catholic Church do not easily believe in miracles, so it
has to be investigated and the investigation was led by Cardinal Vidal of
Cebu.
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CATHOLIC TEACHING/CONVICTION/TESTIMONY |
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Lent: A Time for Renewal
by Vu Ngoc
s I reflect on this Lenten Season, I see that there are two possibly
good news for us. The first is that all of us, including you and I, are
not the same people we were seven years ago. Believe it or not, this is
certainly true. About every seven years, we are entirely new individuals
in terms of our physical make up. Every cell, every atom in our body
dies and is replaced with new ones. There is not one cell, not one atom
in our body today that was there seven years ago. This process of
physical change has been aptly given the name the "seven-year switch."
I don't know how you feel, but I find this information rather
refreshing. The process of dying and returning to life is taking place
at all moments. And every seven years, we become completely new
individuals. How amazing!
As exciting as this news is, I believe that there is another news
that is even more exciting. This is the promise of God that not only our
body but also our soul can be made new. And it doesn't have to take
seven years. In fact, it can happen today, and at this very moment. St.
Paul writes, "If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation." So if you
want to change, to become new, take notice of this word of hope.
Christ offers all of us an opportunity to make a new beginning, a new
life. Here. Now. But how does that new life in Christ begin? It begins
with the recognition of who we are. Living in this modern society, you
and I often find ourselves quite busy with school and work. We feel that
we don't have enough time for ourselves, not even time to check on our
own lives. Fortunately, Lent is designed precisely to be a time for us
to reflect on and to reexamine ourselves. Lent is a time for us to find
our identity before God. And it is also a time for us to acknowledge our
shortcomings and our failures with God and with one another, and ask the
Lord for pardon and strength.
Becoming a new person begins with the recognition of who we are.
Nevertheless, as St. Paul says, we do not truly become new persons in
Christ until we ourselves become ambassadors of reconciliation.
Sometimes you and I experience Christ in our lives, but we manage to let
that conversion experience cause us to look down on others, to avoid
others, and even to despise others. This is a false conversion. If we
truly become a new person in Christ, we see others in a new way. We see
them as God sees us; we reach out tho them as God reaches out to us; we
forgive them as God forgives us; and most importantly we love them as
God loves us. Becoming truly a new person in Christ is to become
ambassadors of reconciliation.
Therefore, as we approach Easter, the time when we celebrate the
paschal mystery of Christ: suffering, death, and resurrection, we must
ask ourselves: Are we ready for a new life? Are we ready for a new
resurrection in Christ? We can wait seven years while our body renews
itself. Or we can begin right now, at this moment, by renewing ourselves
in Christ.
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