Saturday, October 19, 1996
> >St. Isaac Jogues,
St. John de Brébeuf, &
the North American Martyrs
responsibilities and revelations
"May He enlighten your innermost vision that you may know the great hope to which He has called you, the wealth of His glorious heritage to be distributed among the members of the Church, and the immeasurable scope of His power in us who believe." —Ephesians 1:18- 19
Are you full of hope? Are you wealthy? (see 2 Cor 8:9) Do you know you can be "clothed with power from on high"? (Lk 24:49) The key to knowing our hope, wealth, and power is knowing our responsibilities. If we know God has given us responsibilities, we begin seeking God's revelation concerning what He has provided us with to meet these responsibilities.
We are responsible to acknowledge Jesus before men (Lk 12:8). We are even responsible to make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19). This is not only the responsibility of the whole Church but also of each of us as members of Christ's body. We all are missionaries. We will be held accountable for this on Judgment Day. Furthermore, we must win over to Jesus as many people as possible, even if we have to become the slaves of all (1 Cor 9:19). It is an unspeakable tragedy to lose even one sheep (see Mt 18:14). We are under compulsion to share our faith to the maximum. We are ruined if we don't (see 1 Cor 9:16).
With these responsibilities in mind, we can know our hope, wealth, and power and can have our innermost vision enlightened. We can get in touch with reality and not be shocked on Judgment Day. When we know what we must do, we may try to find out who we are in Christ.
Prayer: Father, may I know You and myself. Through the intercession of the North American martyrs, I ask to be a missionary.
Promise: "The Holy Spirit will teach you at that moment all that should be said." —Lk 12:12
Praise: Isaac administered the Sacrament of Baptism to several Indians who had earlier attempted to kill him.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Ralph J. Lawrence, April 2, 1996
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 3, 1996