Good morning sisters and brothers,
Like many of our readings from Psalm 119, today's talks about clinging to God when we're in trouble. One line in particular caught my attention because of the movie we are watching with the confirmation class. The movie we're watching is about the life of Martin Luther. Early in his life as a monk his mentor in the monastery gave him a cross and told him when he felt overwhelmed with guilt or fear to think about Jesus and to pray, "I am yours; save me." The simplicity of the prayer struck me. We have a basic need to know we are in good hands; we need a place to take refuge when we feel under attack. For the psalmist, for Martin Luther and for all people of faith that refuge is God. The psalmist feels that concretely when considering God's teachings in scripture; Luther felt it when he considered Christ on the cross. How do you especially feel God's protection?
We are yours, Lord; save us,
Sam
Psalm 119:89-96
89The Lord exists forever; your word is firmly fixed in heaven.
90Your faithfulness endures to all generations;
you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91By your appointment they stand today, for all things are your servants.
92If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my misery.
93I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life.
94I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.
95The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your decrees.
96I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad.
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ARE YOU SAVED?
ReplyDeleteSalvation is a past reality: We have been saved by the death of Jesus Christ. While we were still sinners, Jesus’ death canceled the bond that stood against us (Colossians 2:14). In other words, the guilt of original sin has been wiped away.
God pardoned our sins. But being pardoned isn’t the same as being holy. Being pardoned gives us back our freedom to choose the road to holiness, to walk the narrow path. Right now, today, we are being saved. Grace is wooing us down the narrow path. We are becoming holy. Salvation is an ongoing event.
We can easily verify salvation as an ongoing event—just look at the world around us. If salvation was a past event, then Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul II would be a dime a dozen.
Instead, they shine like stars in the darkness. The world is a cultural and spiritual battleground—a collision between the culture of life and the culture of death.
This, however, is nothing new. St. Paul described man’s predicament in these terms: "What happens is that I do, not the good I will to do, but the evil I do not intend. But if I do what is against my will, it is not I who do it, but sin which dwells in me" (Romans 7:19-20).
Whether you’re St. Paul, Pope John Paul II, or living in St. Paul, the reality is the same: We are being saved because grace has not yet fully transformed every area of our mind, emotions, desires, and will into the mind, emotions, desires, and will of Christ.
WHAT YOU MUST DO TO BE SAVED
ReplyDeleteTo be saved, you must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31).
However, that's not all. Sacred Scripture clearly shows other things you must also do to be saved:
• You must endure to the end. Matthew 10:22, Matthew 24:13, Mark 13:13.
• You must accept the Cross (suffering). Matthew 10:38, Matthew 16:24-25, Mark 8:34, Luke 9:23, Luke 14:27.
• You must be baptized with water. Mark 16:16, Titus 3:5, I Peter 3:20-21.
• You must be a member in God's true church. Acts 2:47.
• You must confess your sins. James 5:16, I John 1:9.
• You must keep the Commandments of God. Matthew 5:19-20, Matthew 7:21.
• You must heed the words of St. Peter, the first Pope. Acts 11:13-14, Acts 15:7.
• You must eat the flesh and drink the blood of Jesus Christ. John 6:51-58, I Corinthians 10:16, I Corinthians 11:23-29.
• Our justification comes from the grace of God. Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to His call to become children of God, adoptive sons, partakers of the divine nature and of eternal life. CCC 1996, John 1:12-18, John 17:3, Romans 8:14-17, 2 Peter 1:3-4.
The only Church that meets all the requirements of Salvation is the Holy Catholic Church.