Presence of God.
Grace I Ask: for Full loyalty to Christ's Church.
Mental Picture (cf. Matt. 16: 15-19): When Peter recognized Him as "the Son of the living God," Christ solemnly gave His great promise:
"Thou art Peter (the rock), and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it, and I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven."To Peter and his successors Christ gave His teaching and ruling power.
My Personal Application: My loyalty is not likely to be tested to the extent of dying for the Church like St. Peter and St. Thomas More.
A more practical, day-to-day checklist on my loyalty to Christ's Church would be my response to the call of the Pope and the bishops to encourage learning and sharing my faith, to fight against the gross injustices of abortion and euthanasia, to promote the natural moral law and to build up a strong family life (including family prayer), to support parish activities, to contribute actively to good government, to bring morality and ethics into the business world, to encourage international cooperation and justice to the extent that I can.
These may or may not be problems for me now. What does concern me now is: What is my reaction to, and respect for, the teaching voice of the Church?
In every man's life there come times when he must "stand up and be counted," that is, when he must actively and positively show where his loyalties lie.
Am I prepared to stand up and be counted... as a staunch supporter of Jesus Christ and His Church?
I Speak to Christ: Help me understand and respect the authority you gave your Church. Help me to be loyal to it because I see you speaking through the Church.
Thought for Today: "Upon this rock I will build my church!"
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Adapted from Mental Prayer, Challenge to the Lay Apostle
by The Queen's Work,(© 1958)
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