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One Bread, One Body - Reflection for March 26, 2025

LIVING NATURALLY OR SUPERNATURALLY?

"What great nation is there that has gods so close to it as the Lord, our God, is to us whenever we call upon Him? Or what great nation has statutes and decrees that are as just as this whole law which I am setting before you today?" –Deuteronomy 4:7-8

We tend to:

• be selfish,
• cut corners and do things the easy way,
• stay in our comfort zones,
• be lax and permissive,
• look for loopholes,
• take the path of least resistance, and
• do the minimum.

Jesus tells us to:

• obey carefully (Dt 4:6) and earnestly (Dt 4:9),
• not swerve to the right or left in obeying Him (Dt 5:32),
• obey the letter of the law and the smallest part of a letter of the law (Mt 5:18),
• go beyond the letter of the law (see 2 Cor 3:6),
• deny ourselves and take up the cross daily (Lk 9:23),
• die to ourselves (see Jn 12:24),
• lay down our lives for Him and His Church (Eph 5:25; 1 Jn 3:16), and
• love Him with all our hearts, all our souls, all our strength and all our minds (Lk 10:27; Dt 6:5).

Are we living in the selfish mediocrity of our old, fallen nature or in the love, grace, and truth of our new life in Christ? Choose to live the new life you received in Baptism. Prepare to renew your baptismal promises at Easter Vigil or on Easter Sunday.

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Acknowledgement

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