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ARMORED CAR
“They will manhandle and persecute you.” —Luke 21:12

Jesus tells us we will be delivered up even by our parents, brothers, relatives, and friends (Lk 21:16). This will result in some of us being put to death. Jesus has made it very clear that, before there can be peace, there will be division in families. “A household of five will be divided three against two and two against three; father will be split against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against daughter-in-law, daughter-in-law against mother-in-law” (Lk 12:52-53).

Our families will be under extreme pressure in the future and severely tried. Jesus reveals the future not to discourage us but to encourage us to plan accordingly in the present. For example, if we were building a car and we knew this car would be driven through a crossfire of bullets, we would build an armored car. So, if we’re building a family and we know this family will be attacked by the devil, then we will build an “armored family.” “Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil” (Eph 6:11). “You must put on the armor of God if you are to resist on the evil day” (Eph 6:13). On Thanksgiving Day, many of us will be gathering with our families. We can engage in superficialities, keep quiet about Jesus, and pray by ourselves. Or we can ask the Spirit to work through us in building strong, deeply committed, holy families. Would you talk to your family differently if you knew they might betray you?

Prayer: Father, send the Spirit to give me a realistic view of my family’s future. May I build my family for the future spiritual warfare.

Promise: “I then saw something like a sea of glass mingled with fire. On the sea of glass were standing those who had won the victory over the beast.” —Rv 15:2

Praise: Pope St. Clement I was a disciple of the apostles. His writings stress the importance of Church authority and unity.



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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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Tuesday, November 22, 2022, St. Cecilia

Revelation 14:14-19
Psalm 96:10-13
Luke 21:5-11
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THE LAST GOSPEL
“What will be the sign that it is going to happen?” —Luke 21:7

Though no one knows the day when the world will end and Christ will come again, the Lord has given us many of the last events on earth. The following is a partial list in a probable order:

1)      “This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the world...only after that will the end come” (Mt 24:14).

2)      “All Israel will be saved” (Rm 11:26).

3)      Then, “they will manhandle and persecute” Christians (Lk 21:12). “All will hate” us for our faith in Jesus (Lk 21:17).

4)      “Many will come” in Jesus’ name “saying, ‘I am He’ and ‘The time is at hand.’ Do not follow them” (Lk 21:8).

5)      “The mass apostasy” will occur (2 Thes 2:3), and “the love of most will grow cold” (Mt 24:12).

6)      You will “hear of wars...These things are bound to happen first, but the end does not follow immediately” (Lk 21:9).

7)      “There will be great earthquakes, plagues, and famines...and in the sky fearful omens and great signs” (Lk 21:11). “These are the early stages of the birth pangs” (Mt 24:8).

8)      “The lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will destroy him...by manifesting His own presence” (2 Thes 2:8).

9)      “The heavens will vanish with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire” (2 Pt 3:10).

10) “The Lord Himself will come down from heaven...and those who have died in Christ will rise first. Then we, the living, the survivors, will...meet the Lord” (1 Thes 4:16-17).

11) “When the Son of Man comes in His glory...He will sit upon His royal throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him” (Mt 25:31; Rv 14:14ff).

12) We who have loved God faithfully “shall be with [Him] unceasingly” (1 Thes 4:17) and “see Him as He is” (1 Jn 3:2).

“Console one another with this message” (1 Thes 4:18).

Prayer: Lord, I want to be ready.

Promise: “He comes to rule the earth.” —Ps 96:13

Praise: St. Cecilia is the patron of musicians and poets.



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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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Monday, November 21, 2022, Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Revelation 14:1-5
Psalm 24:1-6
Luke 21:1-4: BÀ GÓA NÀY ĐÃ VÀO THÙNG TIỀN NHIỀU HƠN AI HẾT (CÂU 3)
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THE NEW SONG
“They were singing a new hymn before the throne, in the presence of the four living creatures and the elders. This hymn no one could learn except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been ransomed from the world.” —Revelation 14:3

Only those in heaven can sing the new song of the Lamb. Only those baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit can sing the new song (Mt 28:19). They alone sing the new song who are so immersed in the Holy Trinity that they are branded on their foreheads with the names of the Father and the Son (Rv 14:1). Only those begotten and owned by God sing the new song. They “are pure and follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Rv 14:4).

To sing the new song means to live the new life in Christ, to love Him with all our hearts, and to “bless the Lord at all times” (Ps 34:2). To sing the new song means to be a people of praise because we are a people of love. To love and to praise the Lord means that we have been purified by obedience to the truth (1 Pt 1:22). This means we have been saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8) and have been created “to lead the life of good deeds which God prepared for us in advance” (Eph 2:10).

Forever sing the new song of salvation and live the new life of love, praise, purification, and obedience. By faith with good works (see Jas 2:21-22), accept the grace to sing the new song.

Prayer: Father, teach me how to praise You always and forever.

Promise: “This poor widow has put in more than all the rest. They make contributions out of their surplus, but she from her want has given what she could not afford — every penny she had to live on.” —Lk 21:3-4

Praise: Mary was presented to God in the Temple by her parents and she presents us, her children, to our Father.

(Today is our patronal feast. To learn more about The Presentation Story, view, download or order our booklet on our website.)

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You can find One Bread, One Body archives, the letter to readers, OBOB eBook edition, and an online donation form at http://www.presentationministries.com/series/obob

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