The Lord, our God, has made Himself known. He’s made His presence felt. He has revealed Himself through His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He is never distant. He’s always close to His faithful. And we who have dwelled in His love and in His presence can see His hand in every aspect of our lives.
In order to continue this wonderful journey with and in Him, in His awesome presence, we must be prepared to take up our cross and follow after Him. We need to be prepared to die to the ways of the world, while we live in this world, we know that we do not belong to this world, for we belong to Him alone.
Lord Jesus, let me live my life in You, with You. Let me die to all that is not of You, so that I may rise to be with You and see once again, my Lord and God, in heaven. Amen.
Saint Dominic, Priest Pray for us…
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First reading
Deuteronomy 4:32-40
‘Did ever a people before you hear the voice of the living God, and remain alive?’
Moses said to the people: ‘Put this question to the ages that are past, that went before you, from the time God created man on earth: Was there ever a word so majestic, from one end of heaven to the other? Was anything ever heard? Did ever a people hear the voice of the living God speaking from the heart of the fire, as you heard it, and remain alive? Has any god ventured to take to himself one nation from the midst of another by ordeals, signs, wonders, war with mighty hand and outstretched arm, by fearsome terrors – all this that the Lord your God did for you before your eyes in Egypt?
‘This he showed you so that you might know that the Lord is God indeed and that there is no other. He let you hear his voice out of heaven for your instruction; on earth he let you see his great fire, and from the heart of the fire you heard his word. Because he loved your fathers and chose their descendants after them, he brought you out from Egypt, openly showing his presence and his great power, driving out in front of you nations greater and more powerful than yourself, and brought you into their land to give it you for your heritage, as it is still today.
‘Understand this today, therefore, and take it to heart: the Lord is God indeed, in heaven above as on earth beneath, he and no other. Keep his laws and commandments as I give them to you today, so that you and your children may prosper and live long in the land that the Lord your God gives you for ever.’
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Gospel
Matthew 16:24-28
Anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him renounce himself and take up his cross and follow me. For anyone who wants to save his life will lose it; but anyone who loses his life for my sake will find it. What, then, will a man gain if he wins the whole world and ruins his life? Or what has a man to offer in exchange for his life?
‘For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and, when he does, he will reward each one according to his behaviour. I tell you solemnly, there are some of these standing here who will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming with his kingdom.’
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