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Saturday, April 16, 2011

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Ezekiel 37:21-28
Jeremiah 31:10-13
John 11:45-56

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dying to be one

"I will make them one nation upon the land, in the mountains of Israel, and there shall be one Prince for them all." —Ezekiel 37:22

The Lord promised to make the two nations of Israel one nation under one prince, who would be a descendant of David. This promise is being more than fulfilled in Jesus, a Descendant of David. In fact, the Father's plan of salvation is "to bring all things in the heavens and on earth into one under Christ's headship" (Eph 1:10). Thus, Jesus is praying now "that all may be one" as He and the Father are One (Jn 17:21). Moreover, "it was in one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, were baptized into one body" (1 Cor 12:13).

By His death, Jesus made it possible for "all the dispersed children of God" to be gathered into one (Jn 11:52). By dying to ourselves (Lk 9:23) and by continually carrying about in our bodies Jesus' death (2 Cor 4:10), we bring about unity. For example, we often must suffer a "death" in being rejected by those with whom we share our faith in order for them to be reunited with the Lord and His Church. To promote unity between factions, we must suffer a death in being persecuted. To be united with our enemies, we have to die to unforgiveness, pride, bitterness, and resentment. To reunite marriages and families, we often suffer a death in doing self-sacrificing fasting and prayer.

Join with Jesus in uniting all people. Die with Jesus.

Prayer:  Father, make us one as You, Jesus, and the Spirit are one.

Promise:  "If we let Him go on like this, the whole world will believe in Him." —Jn 11:48

Praise:  Whenever tempted to dwell on those who had deeply hurt her, Lisa prayed a simple Hail Mary and was healed.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our tape Unity Gifts on audio AV 3A-3 or video V-3A.)

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, XXX 11, 2011

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