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| Monday: | 7:30am, 9:00am |
| Tuesday: | 7:30am, 9:00am |
| Wednesday: | 7:30am, 9:00am |
| Thursday: | 9:00am |
| Friday: | 9:00am |
| Saturday: | 5:30pm |
| Sunday: | 8:00am, 10:30am, 6:00pm |
Back to the Basics: September 14, 2008
Weekly Devotion:
Opening Prayer
God our Father, in obedience to you your only Son accepted death on the cross for the salvation of mankind. We acknowledge the mystery of the cross on earth. May we receive the gift of redemption in heaven. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen
Scripture: John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus: “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that he world might be saved through him
Reflection
By his passion and Resurrection, Jesus Christ redeemed all mankind. He offered himself to his heavenly Father, to obtain forgiveness for the sins of men, to regain for us the heavenly life we lost by sin and to merit all the graces for reaching heaven.
Redemption means, “Christ died for our sins.” His loving obedience to his Father, even to the extreme point of dying on the cross redeemed us. The disobedience of Adam, and of all of us who have listened to the devil and sinned, offended the Father deeply, because he loves us. But Christ’s act of love, dying on the cross was more pleasing to the Father than our sins were displeasing to him.
We learn two things from Christ’s suffering and death. First, the great love of God for each one of us. The great evil of sin is the second thing we learn. We cannot see the harm sin does to our soul. Studying the crucifix will help us understand both the evil of sin and the great love God has for each of us.
Question:
1. The cross is a sign of hope and of victory. Through death on the cross, Jesus was raised to new life. Sin and death do not have ultimate power. God’s love is more powerful. Share an experience in your life when you have been brought to new life through a cross or struggle.
2. In his book, Questions of Life , Nicky Gumbel illustrates Redemption with the following story. Two people went through school and college together and became close friends. After graduation, they went their separate ways and lost contact. One went on to become a judge, the other ended up a criminal. One day they criminal appeared before the judge. He had committed a crime to which he pleaded guilty. The judge recognized his old friend and faced a dilemma. He was a judge, so he had to be just; he couldn’t let the man off. On the other had, he didn’t want to punish the man because he loved him. So he told his friend that he would fine him the correct penalty for the offense. That is justice. Then he came down from his position as judge and wrote a check for the amount of the fine. He gave it to his friend, saying that he would pay the penalty for him. That is love. Share a time when some one paid a debt for you. What was your reaction?
Closing Prayer
Loving and gracious God, through Christ you teach me that the cross is not only a means of suffering, but also a cross of triumph. I place the crosses I bear in your hands. Through bearing my cross with Christ, may I one day share in his glorious resurrection. I pray this through Christ, my Savior. Amen.
Downloads:
- Download a PDF copy of this Devotion: » Weekly Devotion (PDF)
- Download the First Reading: Did Jesus Have to Suffer and Die? » Did Jesus Have to Suffer and Die?
(PDF)
- Download the Second Reading: Sign of the Cross » Sign of the Cross
(PDF)
The Weekly Devotional may be downloaded and reproduced by parish groups or families for prayer throughout the week. The PDF files may be downloaded for your personal use, but may not be reproduced in large quantities.