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Monday, May 27, 2002

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St. Augustine of Canterbury


1 Peter 1:3-9
Psalm 111
Mark 10:17-27

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losing everything to be saved

"Then who can be saved?" —Mark 10:26

We should rejoice when we "suffer the distress of many trials" (1 Pt 1:6), if these trials will help us achieve "faith's goal, (our) salvation" (1 Pt 1:9). We should be quite willing to sell everything we have and give the proceeds to the poor (Mk 10:21), if this is the way the Lord wants us to work out our salvation (Phil 2:12). We should even be willing to die at a young age "lest wickedness pervert" our minds "or deceit beguile" our souls (Wis 4:11). We have only one goal in life: to be saved. We will lose everything to gain our salvation (Lk 9:24).

I invite and challenge you to pray to the Lord: "I accept salvation — no matter what it takes." By praying this prayer, you are:

  • saying that you will sacrifice everything to be saved,
  • trusting in the Lord,
  • increasing the likelihood of more sufferings in your life,
  • increasing the likelihood of more joy in your life (see Col 1:24),
  • making your life more simple,
  • making your life more counter-cultural, and you therefore are more likely to be persecuted, and
  • expressing the ultimate freedom.

Jesus is our Savior. Only through His name can we be saved (Acts 4:12). This is the only meaning of life. Accept Jesus as your Savior.

Prayer:  Father, I put my life in Your hands.

Promise:  "Praised be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, He Who in His great mercy gave us new birth." —1 Pt 1:3

Praise:  St. Augustine spent the last twelve years of his life bringing the gospel of Christ to England.

Reference:  (For related teaching, order our leaflet, Accepting Jesus as Lord, Savior, and God, or our audio tape AV 43-1 or video V-43.)

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Giles H. Pater, November 15, 2001


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, November 16, 2001