crutches
“Take nothing for the journey, neither walking staff nor traveling bag; no bread, no money.” —Luke 9:3
“All depends on faith” (Rm 4:16). We bear abundant fruit in working for the Lord, not because of our abilities, funding, or technology but by faith in Jesus Christ. Thus did Jesus send forth His apostles with nothing to rely on but faith.
Walking by faith is a challenge. We tend to grab on to any crutch we can find while Jesus takes away anything we may use for a crutch. He wants us to stand by faith and depend on Him alone (see 2 Cor 5:7). Are you seeing God’s power in your life? Are you living the Acts of the Apostles? If there’s something crippling your Christian life, possibly you have weakened your faith by not exercising it, but rather leaning on a crutch.
Can you see anything you can get rid of which will force you to be totally dependent on the Lord? (see Mk 10:21) In weakness, God’s power reaches perfection (2 Cor 12:9). In what ways can you stop doing it yourself and start believing in the Lord? You must do less, have less, and own less for God to do more, give more, and free you more.
Prayer: Father, put me in a situation where I have nowhere to turn but to You.
Promise: “Now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the Lord, our God, Who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in His holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude.” —Ezr 9:8
Praise: St. Vincent de Paul, with St. Louise de Marillac, founded the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity. Upon their deaths in 1660, the congregation had more than forty houses of ministry in the nation of France.
Reference:
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 August 1, 2023, through September 30, 2023. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio January 4, 2023"
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.