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"I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!" - Luke 12:19
Conviction in the Lord is
always a sight to behold. It's the inspiration I look for when I share
the Gospel of Life around the world.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:19-21:
Do not
store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and decay
destroy, and thieves break in and steal.But store up treasures in
heaven, where neither moth nor decay destroys, nor thieves break in and
steal. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.
Christ is the treasure in
the hearts of priests, religious, and seminarians I met during my
missionary trip to Benin for HLI's Francophone Summer Institute last
week. I was uplifted by the joyful spirit and zeal they shared in
proclaiming the objective truths of Catholic Church teaching concerning
life and family.
It was contagious!
Conviction -- a treasure
bestowed by God upon those who willingly trust in His divine plan as
they faithfully live out their call to holiness, treat their neighbors
with compassion and dignity, and accept suffering with strength,
humility, and detachment.
Having an authentic faith is not storing up treasures for self -- where moth and decay destroy
-- but expressing fidelity through duty aligned with God's will and
placed at His service. A sincere conviction of the heart is expressed as
joy, peace, and hope in the Risen Lord. This conviction, an expression
of faith, is what others can see and experience and then want for
themselves!
Just as HLI founder Fr. Paul
Marx witnessed, this contagious spirit -- a blazing fire of love
flowing from the heart - is the answer to the global threats against
life, faith and family. We know these threats, like thieves that break in and steal, stem from a relativistic culture that rejects God and places confidence in material things.
My experience in Benin is a
reminder of the power of conviction -- a burning fire within, but shared
-- which leads others to a peace the world cannot give, the peace of
Our Lord, Jesus. In proclaiming the Gospel of Life with conviction, we
light a fire in the heart of every person who is open to the truth in
love.
We ask for continued
blessings through Jesus Christ to better defend life, faith, and family
for the greater glory of God - with contagious conviction. Thank you for
your prayers and your support. Please be assured of mine.
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Sincerely yours in Christ,
Father Shenan J. Boquet
President, Human Life International
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P.S. How does the Catholic Church understand marriage - one man, one woman, united for life and open to life? Click to read and share!
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