melting pot
“He will keep you firm to the end.” —1 Corinthians 1:8, RNAB
Picture a pot of boiling water on the stove. A handful of firm spaghetti is dropped into the boiling water. Eventually, under the boiling heat of the water, the spaghetti will lose its firmness and grow soft. Likewise, the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:16) continually apply pressure to our souls, trying to break us down and soften us up.
Unlike the spaghetti, we Christians are not alone in the heat. As in the story of the three young men in the fiery furnace, there is a Son of God with us in the fire (Dn 3:92). Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us, always (Mt 1:23; Mt 28:20). With Jesus by our side and in our heart, our enemies and persecutors wilt, not us. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). Even “the mountains melt like wax before” Him (Ps 97:5).
Jesus has baptized us in the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8). The fire of the Spirit is stronger than the fires of this world (see Gal 5:17). “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not” yield to the fears of the flesh and this world (Gal 5:16, RSV-CE).
St. John the Baptizer is a model saint for this principle of firmness. He kept firm in the truth till the end (1 Cor 1:8), even at the cost of his life. With St. John the Baptizer, let us persevere in firmness (Eph 6:11), trusting in the Lord to the end.
Prayer: Picture a pot of boiling water on the stove. A handful of firm spaghetti is dropped into the boiling water. Eventually, under the boiling heat of the water, the spaghetti will lose its firmness and grow soft. Likewise, the world, the flesh, and the devil (see 1 Jn 2:16) continually apply pressure to our souls, trying to break us down and soften us up. Unlike the spaghetti, we Christians are not alone in the heat. As in the story of the three young men in the fiery furnace, there is a Son of God with us in the fire (Dn 3:92). Jesus is Emmanuel, God-with-us, always (Mt 1:23; Mt 28:20). With Jesus by our side and in our heart, our enemies and persecutors wilt, not us. “Our God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29). Even “the mountains melt like wax before” Him (Ps 97:5). Jesus has baptized us in the Holy Spirit (Mk 1:8). The fire of the Spirit is stronger than the fires of this world (see Gal 5:17). “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not” yield to the fears of the flesh and this world (Gal 5:16, RSV-CE). St. John the Baptizer is a model saint for this principle of firmness. He kept firm in the truth till the end (1 Cor 1:8), even at the cost of his life. With St. John the Baptizer, let us persevere in firmness (Eph 6:11), trusting in the Lord to the end.
Promise: “Great is the Lord and highly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.” —Ps 145:3
Praise: St. John the Baptizer unceasingly worked for purity in marriages and in government until it cost him his life.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
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, 2024, through September 30, 2024. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Chancellor, Vicar General, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio November 22, 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.