We Christians have reached the conviction that, because of Jesus' death and our appropriation of His death by Baptism and faith, we have died. We "have been crucified with Christ" (Gal 2:19). "After all," we "have died!" (Col 3:3) Because we are dead, "baptized into [Christ's] death" (Rm 6:3), we see life differently. We live no longer for ourselves but for Him (2 Cor 5:15). The life we live now is not our own; Christ is living in us. We still live our human lives, but they are lives of faith in Jesus (see Gal 2:20).
We haven't died physically, but our motivations, priorities, desires, reactions, and attitudes are so different that clearly our old nature has been drowned in the waters of Baptism. The Lord has given us a new birth. We can't be born again until we have died to our old life. We can't be new until the old is dead. We can't rise from the dead until we are dead. We have reached the conviction that death precedes life and in Jesus' death we all can die in order to live with Him. Alleluia!
| PRAYER: | Jesus, may Your saving death be the center and preoccupation of my life. |
| PROMISE: | "Say, 'Yes' when you mean 'Yes' and 'No' when you mean 'No.' Anything beyond that is from the evil one." –Mt 5:37 |
| PRAISE: | Warren, a family physician, repented of prescribing abortifacient birth-control pills. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College