two kingdoms

Intercessors Of The Lamb:

"There are the two kingdoms. St. Ignatius teaches about them in detail. Jesus said it in a different way, 'You either are with me or you are not.' That is not what the world says. The world talks about gray areas, and compromise, all the time. But that is not the message of Jesus. 'You are with Me all the way or you are not.' We start out by saying to the Lord, 'Can I have one foot in both kingdoms? I kind of want to hang onto this, but yet I want to hang onto you?' Have you ever had that? 'I don't want to let go of the Lord, but I still have my attachments.'

He gave me a little demonstration one time in imagery. We were walking along, Jesus and I, hand in hand and I Had my little attachments here in my other hand. Jesus said, 'Give me your other hand.” In order to give him my other hand, I had to make a choice to let go. When I did and gave Him my other hand, we were face to face. Try that sometime. That is what He wants, that face to face relationship. He wants both hands. There is something in us that is like an octopus. We let go of one and we grab onto something else. Desert spirituality will start showing us what we are doing there."

Universalis: Office of Readings

Universalis: Office of Readings:
sermon by St Gregory Nazianzen
Two bodies, but a single spirit (about St. Basil)

"We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit. Though we cannot believe those who claim that everything is contained in everything, yet you must believe that in our case each of us was in the other and with the other.

Our single object and ambition was virtue, and a life of hope in the blessings that are to come; we wanted to withdraw from this world before we departed from it. With this end in view we ordered our lives and all our actions. We followed the guidance of God’s law and spurred each other on to virtue. If it is not too boastful to say, we found in each other a standard and rule for discerning right from wrong.

Different men have different names, which they owe to their parents or to themselves, that is, to their own pursuits and achievements. But our great pursuit, the great name we wanted, was to be Christians, to be called Christians."

Oh Lord, send like minded people into lives so that we can be strengthened in our faith.

USCCB - (NAB) - January 2, 2008

USCCB - (NAB) - January 2, 2008: "Reading 1
1 Jn 2:22-28

Beloved:
Who is the liar?
Whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ.
Whoever denies the Father and the Son, this is the antichrist.
Anyone who denies the Son does not have the Father,
but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well."

Prayer for Today: Lord give us the faith and strength needed to never deny You...neither in word, nor deed. May our lives be about Truth!