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Tuesday, January 13, 2004

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St. Hilary


1 Samuel 1:9-20
1 Samuel 2:1, 4-8
Mark 1:21-28

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the sounds of satan

"Jesus rebuked him sharply: 'Be quiet! Come out of the man!' " —Mark 1:25

In the inner city neighborhood in which I live, there are many bars that feature live rock music almost nightly. The noise into the night is deafening. This is symptomatic of intense demonic activity in my neighborhood. We in the neighborhood need Jesus to give the command: "Be quiet! Come out" of this neighborhood.

In the entertainment industry, the decibel level has gone up in music, movies, sports, etc. This may indicate that much of this industry is serving Satan rather than the Lord. We need Jesus to give the command: "Be quiet! Come out" of this industry.

In the average American home, the TV set is on for almost seven hours a day. We have the noisiest homes in the history of the human race. In this context, Satan breaks up family after family. Our only hope is for Jesus to give the command: "Be quiet! Come out" of these families.

Jesus comes "not crying out, not shouting, not making His voice heard in the street" (Is 42:2). Jesus is the silent Savior and Deliverer. "It is good to hope in silence for the saving help of the Lord" (Lam 3:26). "By waiting and by calm you shall be saved, in quiet and in trust your strength lies" (Is 30:15). Jesus commands us: "Be still, and know that I am God!" (Ps 46:11, KJV)

Prayer:  Father, may I accept Your gift of silence each day.

Promise:  "My prayer has been prompted by my deep sorrow and misery." —1 Sm 1:16

Praise:  St. Hilary, a married man from a pagan background, was led by his study of Scripture to become a Christian.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our leaflet TV Addiction or on audio AV 65-1 or video V-65.)

Nihil Obstat:  Reverend Robert A. Stricker, June 23, 2003


Imprimatur:  †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, June 26, 2003