“o come, all ye faithful”
“Faithfulness has disappeared; the word itself is banished from their speech.” —Jeremiah 7:28
Our heavenly Father is the Faithful One. Jesus Christ is “the faithful Witness” (Rv 1:5), “the Faithful and True” (Rv 19:11). The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, that is, of faithfulness (see Jn 16:13). The triune God is perfectly faithful (see 1 Thes 5:24). Even “if we are unfaithful He will still remain faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tm 2:13). It is God’s nature to be faithful.
God calls us to be holy, to be like Him. That means that we must be faithful. Have you been faithful to your baptismal promises? This is the fundamental responsibility to which we must be faithful. Have you been faithful to your vocations as married, lay single, clergy, religious, parent, child, worker in the world, or church worker? Have you been faithful to the Church, including to the Pope, bishops, pastors, and brothers and sisters in Christ? Have you been faithful in keeping your word and your promises to those people the Lord has given you to love?
If you have been faithful, give God the glory, for it is only by His grace that you have been faithful. If you have not been faithful, repent, go to Confession, receive God’s mercy, and become faithful. On Judgment Day, the Lord wants to say to each of us: “Well done, good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:21, 23, RSV-CE).
Prayer: Father, this Lent make me faithful in life, till death.
Promise: “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” —Lk 11:23
Praise: Fr. Joseph, a Ugandan priest serving as a missionary to the Sudan, has baptized 15,000 Sudanese people into the Catholic Church in the last six years.
Reference: (For a related teaching on Hold Fast to the Faith, listen to, download or order our CD 71-1 or DVD 71 on our website.)
Rescript: "In accord with the Code of Canon Law, I hereby grant the Nihil Obstat for the publication One Bread, One Body covering the time period from February 1, 2023 through March 31, 2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio June 15, 2022"
The Nihil Obstat ("Permission to Publish") is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have granted the Nihil Obstat agree with the contents, opinions, or statements expressed.