"The plan of salvation also includes those who acknowledge the Creator, in the first place amongst whom are Muslims; these profess to hold the faith of Abraham, and together with us they adore the one, merciful God, mankind's judge on the last day."
- CCC No. 841
Reflection: When we look at Muslims we see much that is good: a deep reverence for the God of Abraham, their dedication to prayer and self-sacrifice, and their desire to serve God with their entire lives.
Prayer: Father, salvation belongs to you alone. Be merciful when you judge my neighbor and my enemy.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
When she delves into her own mystery, the Church, the People of God in the New Covenant, discovers her link with the Jewish People.
- CCC No. 839
Reflection: It is a great embarrassment and tragedy to think of Christians being involved in anti-Semitism when in fact our salvation is so intimately bound up with God's first covenant people, whose very identity Christ chose for himself in his Incarnation.
Prayer: Jesus, Son of David, give me a special love for people of your race, my Jewish brothers and sisters.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
All members of the Church, including her ministers, must acknowledge that they are sinners.
- CCC No. 827
Reflection: What could be more difficult than living in the constant tension of striving to be holy, but admitting that we are sinners? It is a tightrope walk between arrogance and discouragement. The virtues of faith, hope and love show us the middle way and the best way.
Prayer: Father of all truth, help us to see ourselves as we truly are, and to rise above the limits of our human condition.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.
- CCC No. 820
Reflection: Christ desires all Christians to be united, and the Holy Spirit wants to lead us in that direction. A return to full Christian unity will require us to soften our hearts toward each other, spend time together, learn about each other, dialogue openly, and most importantly, pray together.
Prayer: Spirit of unity and peace, soften our hearts to reach out to our Christian brothers and sisters.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
The comparison of the Church with the body casts light on the intimate bond between Christ and his Church. Not only is she gathered around him; she is united in him, in his body.
- CCC No. 789
Reflection: Keep in mind that we are not only Christians, we are Christ. This is why knowing Christ is so important, for only when we come to a deep relationship with Christ do we come into contact with our true selves as we were meant to be.
Prayer: Lord, in knowing you, may we come to know ourselves better.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
Jesus proclaimed a mysterious and real communion between his own body and ours; "He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him."
- CCC No. 787
Reflection: Catholics hold a great reverence for Christ in the Eucharist. But that solemn reverence should extend to our own bodies and to our fellow Catholics as well. In communion, we partake of the divine nature, and become one with the host we reverence.
Prayer: Jesus Christ, help me to honor you in me, and in my neighbor.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
God created the world for the sake of communion with his divine life, a communion brought about by the "convocation" of men in Christ, and this convocation" is the Church.
- CCC No. 760
Reflection: God's perfect will desires that all things be in total communion with him, yet our free will allows us to accept or reject God's offer. In the Church we find those who have answered Christ's call to full and perfect unity with God.
Prayer: Father, strengthen the bonds by which the Church is united to you.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
While water signifies birth and the fruitfulness of life given in the Holy Spirit, fire symbolizes the transforming energy of the Holy Spirit's actions...who transforms what he touches.
- CCC No. 696
Reflection: The elements of creation are also highly symbolic of our relationship with God. When the Holy Spirit manifests itself in tongues of flame, it represents the transforming power, the light and the warmth of God's love for us.
Prayer: Father, send the fire of your spirit deep within us to transform our lives and to conform them to you.
From: Day by Day with the Catechism (Catholic Book Publishing Corp., New York)
