
In that wait our response to God comes, and our part in the plan of salvation is played out. Awaiting God’s Replies: The pause between “Courage, child, your sins are forgiven” and the cure of the paralysis initially may have caused disappointment in those unfamiliar with Christ’s way of working.Deep down, the only things that can hurt us are the obstacles of sin and an egoistic lifestyle. Problems are merely the pretexts he sends us to heal and develop our relationship with him: “Your sins are forgiven.” The problem of life is all about holiness and about removing the chief obstacle to holiness: sin.

For God, the problem of life is not about problems. What is first, rather, is the man’s state of soul. This is not, however, what is first on Christ’s priority list.

These two saints were such powerful witnesses that they converted other prisoners and their jailer before their deaths.Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary TimeĪfter entering a boat, Jesus made the crossing, and came into his own town. Helena, in the basilica that had been erected over their burial crypt. PRAISE: Emperor Constantine had great respect for Sts. PROMISE: “What we await are new heavens and a new earth where, according to His promise, the justice of God will reside.” –2 Pt 3:13 PRAYER: Father, may all who see me think of You. Concentrate on your Owner and gaze “on the Lord’s glory.” Then you will be “transformed from glory to glory into His very image by the Lord Who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18). Isn’t this amazing? The same God Who forbade the making of any graven images out of concern for our falling into idol worship (see Ex 20:4) has now engraved His very own seal upon us (Eph 4:30).Īre you aware that you are marked with the seal of God? Can others tell to Whom you belong merely by looking at you? You can polish up your image.

God marked us with His own seal to identify us as His property (Rm 14:8). We were “formed anew in the image of Creator” (Col 3:10), and now we “share the image of His Son,” Jesus (Rm 8:29). When we were baptised into Christ, we too were stamped with an image, “sealed” with the Holy Spirit (Eph 1:13 2 Cor 1:22).

The seal on the coin marked it as belonging to Caesar. The Pharisees and Herodians were able to identify the owner of the Roman coin because of what was stamped on it. “Whose head is this and whose inscription is it?” –Mark 12:16
