To the Ends of the Earth: Character – Week 4, Day 1 - We Don't Sweat the Little Things
To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 3, Day 5 – Purity Shines in the Light
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This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
1 John 1:5–7
Practically speaking, purity cannot exist in the darkness. We cannot keep our secret sins to ourselves and expect them to go away. We need to bring them into the light that shines through the Church. We must seek out our Catholic brothers and ask them to hold us accountable as they walk with us on the road to restoration and wholeness. We must bring our burdens to the confessional and allow the forgiveness of Christ to bring us back into fellowship with God and our community. We need to let the light of the Scriptures illumine our minds and light the way on the narrow road.
Not one of us is without the guilt and shame of sin; not one of us can seek to live a righteous life on our own (Rom 3:10–12). Even the holiest men among us need our Savior and his guiding grace. The enemy of our souls wants us to think we are alone. He wants us to believe we are more sinful than anyone else — too sinful to bring our iniquities into the light. The light of Christ exposes this lie and leads us to acknowledge our wrongs so we can be healed, redirect our gaze toward heaven, and grow stronger in seeking our salvation. As we come into the light, we can let our light shine for others, so that they too may come out of darkness and seek the Lord.
Questions for reflection
What secret sins, satanic lies, and selfish shame do you need to bring into the light of Christ?
Who among your Catholic brothers can walk with you in your journey toward the light?
How has the forgiveness of Christ through the Church helped you to become a greater witness to those in the darkness of sin?
Praying with Scripture
“Your eye is the lamp of your body; when your eye is sound, your whole body is full of light; but when it is not sound, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness.” (Lk 11:34–35)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
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About the Author
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
