New Christmas Hymns - Lo, the Dawn of Man's Salvation...
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Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you.
Let your eyes look directly forward,
and your gaze be straight before you.
Take heed to the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure.
Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Proverbs 4:24–27
Though honesty and integrity may seem like outdated values, a true cultivator knows that they are essential to reaping a harvest for the kingdom of God. Just as a farmer must keep his eyes on what is directly ahead in order to plow straight furrows, Catholic men need to keep their focus on the narrow way of Christ. We cannot accomplish this if we stray from the path of truth.
We are called to shine as beacons of integrity in a darkened world. Our words and actions must be grounded in our faith and stand as examples of what it means to be a member of the Body of Christ. Our integrity cannot be something we pull out only on Sundays, but we must also carry the call of the Gospel out to our world during the week. When others see Christ in the way we live, their hearts will become more open to the seeds of truth we sow in their lives. We will be able to walk with them like a team of oxen, sharing the load and bearing our burdens together as we work toward the goal of heaven. Hikers watch their steps as they move along a narrow mountain path. In the same way, we must fix our eyes on the goal of our faith, to make sure we do not stumble or cause others to stumble along the way. Remember, the world is watching!
Questions for Reflection
How important is it to you to be a man of integrity?
Do your words and actions during the week reflect the sacrament you participate in on Sunday?
What steps can you take to cultivate honesty and integrity in your life?
Praying with Scripture
The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD;
he turns it wherever he will.
Every way of a man is right in his own eyes,
but the LORD weighs the heart.
To do righteousness and justice
is more acceptable to the LORD than sacrifice. (Prov 21:1–3)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
