Sign of the Cross (Ez 9:6) by Shane Kapler

13 Aug Sign of the Cross (Ez 9:6) by Shane Kapler

“Wipe them out! But do not touch any marked with the ‘Thau’” ~ Ez 9:6 (full readings)
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Shane’s Reflections:  Ezekiel relates a vision concerning the judgment of Jerusalem.  Those to be spared were marked by an angel with a Hebrew letter, the “Thau.”  It is an “X,” a cross. That is the mark that saves.  A vast number of Christians make the Sign of the Cross over their bodies to begin and end each day, as well as all of their times of prayer.  When we Christians make the Sign of the Cross (touching the forehead, heart, and then both shoulders) we profess our Faith:  Through the Cross of Christ we enter into the inner life of the Father, Son, and Spirit; and we have been empowered to do so with “all our mind, all our heart, and all our strength,” in fulfillment of the Great Commandment (Mk 12:30).
* Shane Kapler is the author of Through, With, and In Him: The Prayer Life of Jesus and How to Make It Our Own and The God Who is Love: Explaining Christianity From Its Center. He is online at www.explainingchristianity.com.
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Faith Challenge:  In Ezekiel’s vision it was those who “grieve and lament over all the abominations practiced” in Jerusalem who were marked with the Sign of the Cross.  Accept the challenge to pray the Sign of the Cross, slowly and deliberately, three different times today on behalf of:  First, the unborn and their parents.  Second, all those who have had, or have participated in, abortions.  And Finally, the politicians and judges who have prevented abortion from being outlawed.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  St. Hippolytus
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Faith Quote:  “The word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” ~ 1 Cor 1:18
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Through Christ our Lord,
Shane