To the Ends of the Earth: Action – Week 5, Day 1 - No Matter How Well Things Are Going, We Can Stumble at Any Moment
“And these words which I command you this day shall be upon your heart; and you shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. And you shall bind them as a sign upon your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”
Deuteronomy 6:6–9
Christianity demands ongoing, daily effort, or else we are not living it well. While we often talk about a single moment of conversion in our lives, there is a deeper dimension to salvation that extends from eternity to the cross and on to the Second Coming. God imparts his grace to sinners to give us all we need to work out our salvation and grow into the people he has called us to be. As Catholics, we know there is no true distinction between salvation and sanctification; it is one journey begun at Baptism, unfolding over the course of each day, and culminating in our final union with Christ in heaven.
We cannot separate our faith life from our witness. We are commanded to pass on the teachings of our faith to our children. It is a deliberate, daily effort to speak about our faith and to back up what we say with the example of our lives. God’s word and the Church’s teachings must go from our heads and hearts to our hands, as we work out so great a salvation by our ongoing efforts to pass on the Faith and lead our children into the kingdom by all we say and do.
Questions for reflection
How does your own spiritual growth enable you to help future generations grow in faith?
Where is God calling you to labor with more generosity in the Church’s ongoing journey of salvation as you pass on your faith to others, especially your children?
How can you help a brother who may be tempted to give up continuing in his in faith?
Praying with Scripture
“Let the children come to me, do not hinder them; for to such belongs the kingdom of God.” (Mk 10:14)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE