saving sayings
"He saved us." —Titus 3:5
"When the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us" (Ti 3:4-5). "He saved us through the baptism of new birth and renewal by the Holy Spirit. This Spirit He lavished on us through Jesus Christ our Savior" (Ti 3:5-6). We have been saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8; see also Lk 17:19). Jesus, Whose name means "Yahweh saves," is our Savior, our only Savior (see Acts 4:12).
The Lord commands us to:
- Rejoice in our salvation (Is 25:9). With Mary, we exclaim: "My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior" (Lk 1:46).
- "Work with anxious concern to achieve (our) salvation" (Phil 2:12). This means we should live our salvation by being faithful to our baptismal promises.
- Share our salvation by witnessing for Jesus (Acts 1:8) and making disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19), for Jesus wants all to be saved (1 Tm 2:4).
Remember that without being saved by Jesus, we would be "foolish, disobedient, and far from true faith" (Ti 3:3), for "we were the slaves of our passions and of pleasures of various kinds. We went our way in malice and envy, hateful ourselves and hating one another" (Ti 3:3). Our lives would be hell on earth and hell after earth but for Jesus our Savior. We owe everything to Him. Therefore, let us rejoice in our salvation, live it to the full, and share it with everyone. Praise Jesus, our only Savior!
Prayer: Lord, I will make "myself all things to all men in order to save at least some of them" (1 Cor 9:22).
Promise: "One of them, realizing that he had been cured, came back praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus and spoke His praises." —Lk 17:15-16
Praise: St. Frances Xavier was afflicted with frail health, but didn't let that stop her from founding the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Richard L. Klug, April 10, 2002
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 18, 2002