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Saturday, July 13, 2002

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St. Henry


Isaiah 6:1-8
Psalm 93
Matthew 10:24-33

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self-love and fearless evangelization

"Do not be afraid of anything. You are worth more than an entire flock of sparrows." —Matthew 10:31

Jesus repeatedly commands us to speak His word in the light and proclaim it from the rooftops (Mt 10:27). We must acknowledge Jesus before men (Mt 10:32) and never be ashamed of the gospel (Rm 1:16).

However, the devil tries to stop our proclamation of the gospel by trying to intimidate us through fear of death and of other things (Mt 10:26, 28, 31).

The good news is that Jesus has given us the grace to be unaffected by Satan's intimidations. The Lord graces us to love ourselves and to recognize our self-worth in Him. We then know we are worth more than an entire flock of sparrows (Mt 10:31). In fact, we are of inestimable worth because we are children of God, bought at the price of Jesus' blood (1 Cor 6:20). We are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people He claims for His own to proclaim the glorious works of the One Who called (us) from darkness into His marvelous light" (1 Pt 2:9).

For you to tell the world about Jesus, let Jesus tell you about yourself. Then you will be a free, fearless witness for Jesus. Love yourself so you will love your neighbors by giving them the greatest gift, the good news of Jesus (see Mt 22:39). Love yourself into fearless evangelization.

Prayer:  Father, if I love You, I will love myself and love my neighbor so much that I will tell them of Jesus' love.

Promise:  "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? Who will go for us?' 'Here I am;' I said; 'send me!' " —Is 6:8

Praise:  St. Henry, king of Bavaria, came from a holy family. His brother became a bishop, his sister married a saint, and another sister became abbess of a monastery. Finally, his wife also became a canonized saint.

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert L. Hagedorn, December 4, 2001


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, December 10, 2001