"I assure you, on judgment day people will be held accountable for every unguarded word they speak."
Matthew 12:36
For Reflection:
Ouch! How many unguarded or idle words have I spoken in my life? How many did I speak yesterday? How many have I spoken already today? Lord, put a sentinel at my mouth and a guard around my lips that I may hold my tongue when it ought to be held. Amen.
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"If on the last day we would receive a merciful judgment, we must begin here below to be merciful to others."
Bishop Fulton Sheen
For Reflection:
Do I show mercy to others? In what ways? Is there someone who needs to experience my mercy or forgiveness at this moment in my life? Who? How willing am I to extend it now? Will I? Why or why not?
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"God wants that everyone be saved; no one is predestined to go to hell; Jesus died for everyone; and everyone is given sufficient grace for salvation."
Gabriele Amorth
For Reflection:
How reassuring are these words! God desires my salvation, has sent His Son so it can be acquired, and is giving me the graces I need to attain it! What grace for salvation is He offering me today?
(Hint: What prompting of the Holy Spirit am I experiencing - the need for confession, a way to help a friend or loved one, an act of charity or almsgiving, etc.)
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"At the evening of life, we shall be judged on our love."
St. John of the Cross
For Reflection:
How much do I love God? What about my life reflects the reality of my love? Where does selfishness hold me bound? Lack of forgiveness? Personal sin?
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"At the particular judgment the soul will be judged about every single thing - its thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions."
Cardinal Gasparri
For Reflection:
How would my thoughts, words, deeds, and omissions stack up today? Would they show a love of God and neighbor? Why or why not? In light of all this, what interior dispositions need to be converted?
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"It is appointed for men to die once and then the judgment."
Hebrews 9:27
For Reflection:
Our culture is awash with many false ideas about death. One is the concept of reincarnation. How does this scripture passage refute this idea? This verse also talks about "the judgment." What do I think this means? On what will I be judged? How would that go if it were to happen today?
(See tomorrow's Grace Line for some indication.)
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"If so many people believe in heaven and hell while also believing that this life will determine which destination will be theirs, why don't we see more evidence of that belief?
Regis J. Flaherty
For Reflection:
What do I believe about heaven and hell? Does my life show evidence of that belief?Â
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Hello Dear Friends,
Father Edmund Sylvia, C.S.C., Tom Sullivan, and myself are at EWTN this week taping programs for Women of Grace. I sure do welcome your prayers for us. We have quite a full week with a wonderful group of guests joining us. The programs we are producing are riveting, many of which deal with cultural issues as well as the relationship(s) between men and women. As Catholics, our call is to restore the temporal order. Our goal is to do just that and help you to do so as well. May all of us work together to bring Jesus Christ to the world!
Blessings,
Johnnette
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"The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last. Think of the end of worldly honor, wealth and pleasure and ask yourself: And then? And then?
St. Philip Neri
For Reflection:
To what does my "and then" lead? How can I make my "and then" count today?
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"Do now, do now, what you will wish to have done when your moment comes to die."
St. Angela Merici
For Reflection:
Mentally make a list of those things you will have wished to have done when your moment comes to die. Are there people you will have wished to forgive or from whom you wished to have asked for forgiveness? Are there little niceties and kindnesses you will have wished to have offered? Are there faults and failings, bad habits and weaknesses you would have liked to overcome? Of these, what can I "do now" so I will have no lingering regrets? How will this help my life to be happier for as long as it is mine?
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