Novena for Life V

Photography by Jerry Harpur

Day Five
Resting Only in Your Truth

Prayer
Father of life, help me to bring every longing to the infinite fulfillment of every heart's expectations.

A Reading from Saint Paul's Letter to the Romans 2:14-15
For it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified. For when the Gentiles who do no have the law by nature observe the prescription of the law, they are a law for themselves even though they do not have the law. They show that the demands of the law are written in their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even defend them on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge people's hidden works through Christ Jesus.

(silent reflection)

Prayer
God of all creation, when I am afraid, weak, or uncertain, open my mind to your truth and goodness, that reading your work written on my heart, I might learn to treasure the life of every man.

A Reflection by Pope Benedict XVII*
An "adult" faith is not a faith that follows the trends of fashion and the latest novelty; a mature adult faith is deeply rooted in friendship with Christ. It is this friendship that opens us up to all that is good and gives us a criterion by which to distinguish the true from the false, and deceit from truth...We must develop this adult faith; we must guide the flock of Christ to this faith. And it is this faith-only faith-that creates unity and is fulfilled in love...on this theme, St. Paul offers us some beautiful words as a fundamental formula for Christian existence, in contrast to the continual ups and downs of those who, like children, are tossed about by the waves: make truth in love. Truth and love merge in Christ. To the extent that we draw near to Christ, in our own lives too, Truth and love are blended. Love without truth would be blind; truth without love would be like " a clanging cymbal" (1Cor 13-1).

Our Father...
Hail Mary...
Glory Be...

*Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Homily, Mass for the Election of the Pope, 18 April 2005

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I would ask for prayers for all those who this day may be traveling to Washington, DC to participate in the Right to Life march that their journey might be safe and all return home safe and sound. I pray this for all who represent St. John the Baptist Church and all churches that have members of this one family in Christ participating.

I would also ask for prayers for Christian Unity. Needless to say this is a week in which we must all pray incessantly and with determination. We must pray for those who profess to be Christian and yet represent values that are less than Christian. May God convert their hearts and souls again to the love of their fellow man, born and unborn.

And so I interject this reflection by Pope John Paul II:

Unity, penance, prayer.

In the school of the Apostle of the Gentiles we can gain consciousness that we are all in need of conversion.

There is no Christian without penance.

"There is no true ecumenicism without interior conversion"

"Who are you to pass judgement on another..."(Romans 13:4). Let us rather recognize our faults together. This holds good as well for the grace of unity: "All have sinned." We ought to see and say this in all seriousness and draw our conclusions...

Jesus Christ is the salvation of us all..."We are at peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1) and among ourselves...we believe and together profess all that...

All our gratitude for what remains in common to us and unites us must not blind us to what still divides us...We are called to go forth together, in dialogue of truth and love, to full unity of the faith...We must not leave anything untried. We must do everything to unite ourselves. We owe this to God and to the world...

The will of Christ and the signs of the times urges to common testimony of the increasing fullness of truth and love...The tasks awaiting us are great and grave..."The Spirit helps us in
our weakness" (Romans 8:26).

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And for the privilege to live in a nation in which I can pray without reprisal I say,
Thanks be to God.