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Monday, October 4, 2021

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St. Francis of Assisi


Jonah 1:1—2:1, 11
Jonah 2:3-5, 8
Luke 10:25-37

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“The Lord sent a large fish, that swallowed Jonah; and he remained in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.” —Jonah 2:1

The Lord is calling just as many people now to be priests, sisters, and brothers as ever. Yet the world is full of Jonahs, who jump a ship to Tarshish to run from God’s call (Jon 1:2-3). The Lord is calling for large families just as He has for millennia. However, parents are playing Jonah and usurping family planning from God, as if He doesn’t know what He’s doing. The Lord is calling for more foreign and native missionaries than ever, for He wants all “to be saved and come to know the truth” (1 Tm 2:4). Still, the harvest remains great and the laborers few (Mt 9:37).

All of us Jonahs need a whale of a problem to turn us around. There’s nothing like a few days in a whale’s belly to help us change our minds about running away from God’s call. I pray we all follow God’s will for our lives. That’s the only way to be happy and pleasing to Him. I pray that, if we’re resisting any calls from God, we would be swallowed by a whale, or something to that effect. Can you say “Amen”?

Prayer:  Jesus, get me where I’m supposed to be, doing what I’m supposed to do in Your Kingdom. Amen.

Promise:  “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” —Lk 10:27

Praise:  St. Francis converted to the Faith while he was a prisoner of war. He dedicated his life to Jesus in a manner beyond what most can imagine. For instance, he went on the Fifth Crusade to preach the Gospel to the Muslim world.

Reference:  (For a related teaching on Hearing God, order, view or download our leaflet or order, listen to or download our CD 45-1 or DVD 45 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 October 1, 2021 through November 30, 2021. Reverend Steve J. Angi, Vicar General, Chancellor, Archdiocese of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio April 14, 2021"

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.