We live in a day and age when so many people are becoming followers of other humans instead of becoming followers of God (of Jesus Christ). Since we live in the age of computers and television and the internet, and other media outlets, we can get 24/7 media coverage on just about anyone of any level of importance or notoriety. And many people are becoming followers of public figures, instead of becoming followers of God, and this is sad.

Many people are treating other humans as though they are gods, as though they are their saviors who are going to rescue them from the evils of the world. They depend on other humans to tell them the truth instead of turning to God and to the Scriptures to get truth. Or they depend on internet memes to tell them the truth because memes are short and easy to read quickly, and they don’t involve research and studying, which takes time.

The internet is a strong influencer over people’s minds and their beliefs and ways of thinking. There is a lot of mind control going on via television and the internet and other media outlets. And if people of faith are addicted to the media, and if they are dependent on the media to get truth, then so many of them are subject to accepting lies in place of the truth, for the lies can be made to sound good, while the truth can be made to look evil.

But we who profess faith in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are not to put our dependency and trust in other humans who are bound to fail us. We are not to be looking to other humans to save us from what ails us as a people and as nations on this earth. For what ails us as nations are the sins of those who oppose God and his plan and purpose for our lives, and who do evil to one another, sometimes in the name of God, too.

What ails us as the nations of the earth is that so many people are rejecting God and his plan and purpose for our lives in favor of living their lives their own way, doing their own thing, even if that means deliberately and habitually sinning against God and against one another. And sadly this includes many people who profess faith in Jesus Christ, for their faith is man-created instead of God-created, and it appeases human flesh rather than putting flesh to death so that they can now serve God with their lives.

But God’s salvation, which he has for us, puts sin to death in our lives, and it transforms us, and it changes us so that our desire is now to obey God and to no longer walk in sin in disobedience to God. But if our faith does not do that, then it is not biblical faith. For if we are convinced that a mere profession of faith in Christ is enough to secure us heaven for when we die, but while we continue in deliberate and habitual sin, and not in walks of obedience to God, we have believed a lie and not the truth which saves our souls from hell, and which promises us eternal life with God in heaven.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

Refiner’s Fire

By Brian Doerksen

Purify my heart,
let me be as gold and precious silver.
Purify my heart,
let me be as gold, pure gold.

Purify my heart,
cleanse me from within
and make me holy.
Purify my heart,
cleanse me from my sin, deep within.

Refiner's fire,
my heart's one desire
is to be holy;
set apart for You, Lord.
I choose to be holy;
set apart for You, my Master,
ready to do Your will.

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The Lord, My Salvation
An Original Work / July 25, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

US ‘strongly rejects’ French plan to recognise Palestine, Saudis hail ‘historic decision’

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio blasted French President Emmanuel Macron decision to recognise a Palestinian state as “reckless” while Saudi Arabia described it as “historic” as world reactions to the plan poured in ahead of the UN General Assembly meeting in September.

rjs330 said:

ICE like any LE has investigatory skills that they use to determine if someone is an illegal or not. If by that investigation reveals they are illegal they can be deported. BY LAW they do NOT need a court order to deport unless the alien says they want a hearing. If the alien says they want a hearing they have to get one before an immigration judge who then hears the case and determines if the person is subject to deportation. If they say so then the person can be deported immediately. If the alien does not ask for a hearing then they may be deported immediately.

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Yep. And if they are subject to deportation, they lose any chance of coming back. If they self deport, then they maintain the ability to seek citizenship.

The Legend of Zelda: A Link to The Past - SNES

I'm still playing Destiny 2

Dreamcast

RocksInMyHead said:

Don't be disingenuous. You and I both know that he's going to do more than just play music. Have you ever known an artist with strong political or social views to not interject them into their set?

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From a Nova Scotia show...

I'm certainly not going to sit through the whole thing because the music isn't what I would call "good" by any stretch lol

But as I skip around in the video to the various talking parts, I'm not seeing anything wildly out of sorts with what I would expect from the "worship concert" genre (albeit, my experience with that genre would be limited for obvious reasons)

From my estimation, this basically looks like if Vince Gill went to Sammy Hagar's hair stylist.

And the crowds/demographics that show up don't exactly give off the "start a riot and light a dumpster on fire" vibe.

I'm seeing a lot of older people, and middle-aged folks there with their kids (who look unenthused, and probably got dragged their by their parents when they'd rather have stayed home and played video games)

wing2000 said:

Say, what steps has she taken to ensure the Secretary of Defense uses secure communication going forward? Mr Hegseth has been mum on the subject.

Or is our military supposed to trust the former FOX weekend talk show host to refrain from self-promotion using classified information?

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Yes, from the military point of view, it's a two-part issue:

What damage was done in that incident?

What steps are necessary to prevent recurrence?

Step two can't be ignored just because no damage was done in step one.

essentialsaltes said:

Fortunate? This guy especially. He got 29 years knocked off his sentence.​

Perpetrator of triple homicide in Madrid included in group of political prisoners repatriated by US from Venezuela​

Dahud Hanid Ortiz landed Friday in Texas from Caracas, where he was sentenced to 30 years for a crime committed in the Spanish capital in 2016​

The United States has welcomed the release and surrender by the Venezuelan Chavista regime of a group of 10 Americans who landed last Friday in Texas, among them a triple murderer, Dahud Hanid Ortiz. The identity of this freed man has been confirmed to EL PAÍS through a source close to the Spanish secret services and another from the Venezuelan NGO Foro Penal, which is dedicated to the defense of political prisoners. This organization, a reference in the field of human rights in Venezuela, warned that among those being released was one who was not a political prisoner. This Tuesday, Foro Penal confirmed to this newspaper that it was referring to Ortiz.

Images published in the U.S. media show him last Friday, waving to the camera as he and the rest of the group left the Joint Base San Antonio military installation in Texas.

The triple homicide perpetrated by Ortiz took place in 2016 in a law office in Usera, a working-class district in the south of the Spanish capital. None of the three victims were who he was actually going after that day. His target was Víctor Salas, a lawyer who was in a relationship with his ex-wife who he had threatened to kill. That day, however, he murdered two female employees of the office and a client whom he mistook for Salas.

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Diosdado Cabello, Venezuela’s interior minister, said Wednesday night on his weekly broadcast that the Venezuelan government had warned U.S. officials at the airport that they were “taking away a convicted murderer.”

“The United States defended their murderer and asked for him to be included,” Cabello alleged.

An unamed source indicated Cabello is not in detention following his arrival on US soil.
The US government has been mum on his wherabouts....

Honestly have been thinking about visiting a Catholic or Orthodox church myself.

Not from the hype, but I've kind of spiritually outgrown Protestantism.

Seems to be the only direction left to try.

This week the White House released its plan for artificial intelligence (AI) in the United States, which aims “to achieve global dominance in AI” and promote “human flourishing, economic competitiveness, and national security for the American people.”

The plan comes as Catholic leaders continue to urge developers to exercise caution when growing and refining the new technology.

The government’s “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan” identifies more than 90 federal policy actions within the categories of “accelerating innovation, building American AI infrastructure, and leading in international diplomacy and security.”

The White House announcement laid out the key policies the AI plan will focus on, including sharing technology with allies around the world, developing data centers, and stripping away red tape around AI development.

Continued below.

“Thanks be to God more people weren’t harmed,” said Father Gabriel Romanelli in an exclusive interview with EWTN on July 24 in the wake of the July 17 bombing of his parish, Holy Family Church in Gaza, which left three dead and 15 wounded, including himself.

“It was a shocking experience,” Romanelli told “EWTN Noticias” in the Spanish-language interview, noting that while the parish grounds were struck toward the beginning of the war in December 2023, last week’s attack marked the first time the church itself was hit. The front of the church was hit in a strike that Israeli officials have said was an accident.

“That iconic cross you’ve seen — it’s about 2 meters [6.5 feet] tall — was heavily damaged,” the priest said of the crucifix fixed atop the church structure. “Shrapnel flew in all directions,” he recounted.

“The area is quite small, and while we hear bombings daily and metal fragments often fall, there hadn’t been such a severe incident since the war began,” Romanelli continued, adding: “The recent strike has left a deep mark.”

Continued below.

Apple Sky said:

I do understand English.

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Obviously not. You don’t understand the distinction between “heaven” where God resides and “the heavens” which is more generally describing sky/space.

The Bible is a living book whose power extends beyond reading, and its enfleshment extends beyond the page into the life of Christ’s Body, the Church.

Jipsah said:

Of course there's [planty of time! We're all gonna live forever if our Lord doesn't return. Nemmind car wrecks and cancer, heart attacks and aneurisms, pneumonia and diabetes, Alzheimers, C-Dif, falls down stairs, physical trauma of myriad sorts, as infinitum. And you're really worried about being ready when out Lord returns? How about being ready to die tomorrow! Let's face it, if the Lord is gonna return in September, it ain't gonna mean jack if you get hit by a bus in July,

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It's interesting you mention September. Some are saying Jesus could have been hinting that "no man can know the day or the hour" had to do with the Feast of Trumpets. Where two witnesses had to see the first sliver of the new moon. This year it's on 9/23.

Jipsah said:

If you live to see it. If not, you'd better have been ready before then, hadn't you?. At 72 years old with chronic heart failure, The Tribulation is the least of my worries. I wanna be one of those who rise first when He returns.

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It would be fun if you could be here to see it. It probably doesn't matter because we who are here alive, still will not precede those who have fallen asleep. Hulk Hogan can still beat me in the rush to meet Jesus in the air.

Hulk looked pretty good in his last interview. It looked like they caught him at a gas station in the spring of 2025. He was promoting his new beer venture. He looked fine. He didn't have any earlobe crease, (Frank's sign). They said he went in for a neck surgery and was never able to speak again. After complications, they snuck his hospital bed back home.

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Jipsah said:

Yeah, let's just ignore what our Lord said. Good plan, that.

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Like Julie said up there, Jesus also said that when we see these things begin to take place know that He is near, even right at the door.

So if we can't KNOW the day or the hour, we can know that He is near, even right at the door. Like He's not walking down the road at the edge of town anymore. He's all the way past your street, turning up the driveway, and He's standing on the porch. He's right at the door. This is not talking about "if He knocks, will you let Him in. The context is of the second coming. That's not like years away anymore, when He's right at the door.. No time to start a company, no time to read a book.

If Hulk Hogan could have known that Jesus' second coming was close, or right at the door, this year, or even September, would it be a good idea to be going out just a handful of months before promoting a new beer startup?

Like right now, I myself wouldn't want to hop on a plane to France for the purpose of taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower.

I've read on twitter that Laura Horn's surgery was successful with an anticipated one year recovery. Keep praying for a good recovery and that her speech and thinking haven’t been affected.

enoob57 said:

My main question is: If Jesus warned us about signs and wonders being performed by devils and demons why are we not listening to that?

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enoob57 said:

I do find it telling that you did not answer the question I put forth

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Really? Then in your desperation to defend the cessationist's position, you are not retaining what you read.

rocknanchor said:

I, Agree with all of Jesus warnings, including His warnings through the Apostles.

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It is the Spirit who teaches the way of soundness when ALL HIS WARNINGS are brought to the table. The reason I asked if those two instances are among those that lead to demonic activity (which you did not answer), is to see if you are trying to promote soundness, or refusal.

enoob57 said:

Be careful when you read something not to read into it.

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I have no reason to believe that any of us in this discussion are novices in the word. Problems occur after some error of bias occurs and we accept a condition (cessation) which is why you could not bring yourself to answer my question of your treatment of (Mk 16:17) and (Gal 3:5). You wish there was an instance in the epistles that says after their passing all signs and wonders will cease, but there isn't. There is only one thing the Apostle said would cease and that is un-interruption of soundness (Acts 20:29).

enoob57 said:

What I wrote was start to finish a complete thought I had concerning all this.

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Correction, complete promotion. Else, if it were soundness you had in mind you would have defended it with a refusal to tamper with the spirit of those two references' possibility to cite and encourage a blasphemous possibility.

enoob57 said:

My main question is: If Jesus warned us about signs and wonders being performed by devils and demons why are we not listening to that?

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True Pentecostalism holds well to this warning (Heb 12:2). How does Gal 3:5 operate in a world of ''false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders'', when it so closely resembles the other, these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues? I just told you (Heb 12:2), I just told you only one thing was mentioned to cease for a time, soundness. We always give thanks for everything He has given us to live victoriously yet, with contentment with such things as we have. If you cannot attest in the affirmative to these things, then you are still held atop a pinnacle of promotion of man's longstanding imagination.

The Sabbath was blessed and sanctified since the first 7th day. Because (for) in 6 days God made heaven and earth,and the sea and all things in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it. And because He blessed and hallowed it we are keep it so and rest. On it thou shalt do no work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant nor thy maidservant, thine ox nor thine ass, nor any cattle of thine, nor the stranger that sojourns with thee. For, BECAUSE in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and the sea and all things in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.

Gen 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
Exod 20:8 Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.
Exod 20:9 Six days thou shalt labour, and shalt perform all thy work.
Exod 20:10 But on the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God; on it thou shalt do no work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy servant nor thy maidservant, thine ox nor thine ass, nor any cattle of thine, nor the stranger that sojourns with thee.
Exod 20:11 For in six days the Lord made the heaven and the earth, and the sea and all things in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it.

thomasw60 said:

Was told and shown a video on some Christian artist had a symbol they wore wasn't biblical either
And my fellow believer friends don't listen to them because of that

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Without knowing what the symbol was, I am not sure how you expect us to comment. What was the symbol? Even more important perhaps are the words this artist sings; are they biblical?

wing2000 said:

Cocoa prices have more than doubled over the past two years due to poor weather and disease in West Africa, which supplies more than 70% of the world’s cocoa.

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It would seem that I spake too soon?

Pommer said:

My plan is to die happy knowing that my generation wasn’t the one that would let the cocoa bean become extinct. I pity those people.

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When we follow the Lord Jesus Christ with our lives, and we obey his commands, in practice, and we follow his guidance and direction, and we go where he sends us, and we speak what he gives us to say, to whom he gives us to say it, we are going to be faced with opposition. And that opposition could be coming from people close to us, from friends, and/or family, and/or from other professing Christians, and/or from pastors of “churches,” and the like. But it hurts the most when it comes from people closest to us.

And now this is not to claim that we are absolutely perfect in every way and that no one should ever accuse us of anything wrong. We should be humble people who admit when we are wrong, who are willing to take correction, and who are willing to make changes in our lives where they are needed and where they are required by God. We should be willing to compromise where it does not require compromising truth and righteousness and the Word of God and his gospel. But all should be done under the direction of our Lord.

And sometimes these persecutions, they pile up, one after another after another. And for some of us, they eventually take their toll on us, and we absolutely do cry with our whole hearts, seeking God for answers and guidance and direction in knowing what to do, and in what to say, and in what to not do, and to not say. For some of us are not “Rocks of Gibraltar,” which symbolize much strength and resilience, but we cry, and we must absolutely trust in the Lord to be our strength, our counsel, and our wisdom.

Have you ever tried running in a race, but when you got near to the end your body was just about ready to collapse, and you didn’t know how you were going to last to the finish line? It’s kind of like that, and kind of like what Paul described, too, or what Job suffered, as well. Sometimes it all just piles up on you at once or else it is just the accumulation of trials and tribulations, over a span of many years, and so sometimes you might wonder how much longer you will last. Then you cry with your whole heart.

One of the things which brings me to tears is how so many people professing faith in Jesus Christ are being deceived by liars and tricksters who know how to charm the people, and who know how to put on a good show, and who are telling people lies. These liars are malicious, morally unclean, fakes, manipulators, egocentric, and unfaithful to those who look to them for truth or for help and guidance. And so many people are following them to their deaths, thinking that they have the hope of eternal life with God.

And that absolutely breaks my heart! I literally weep over the deceived, over those who have been promised salvation from sin and eternal life with God based on a lie which tells them that nothing is required of them other than a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. But Jesus and his New Testament apostles taught that faith in Jesus Christ must result in us dying to sin and obeying our Lord, in practice, by the grace of God, in the power of God. For if we walk in sin, and not in obedience to God, we do not have life in Christ.

[Matthew 7:13-14,21-23; Luke 9:23-26; John 1:12-13; John 6:44; John 10:27-30; Acts 26:18; Romans 2:6-8; Romans 6:1-23; Romans 8:1-14; 1 Corinthians 10:1-22; Galatians 5:16-24; Ephesians 2:8-10; Ephesians 4:17-32; Ephesians 5:3-6; Titus 2:11-14; Hebrews 3:1-19; Hebrews 4:1-13; Hebrews 12:1-2; 1 Peter 2:24; 1 John 1:1-10; 1 John 2:3-6; 1 John 3:4-10]

For Our Nation

Professionally recorded in Nashville, TN
Via Gerry Peters, music producer and arranger
An Original Work / September 11, 2012
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

Bombs are bursting. Night is falling.
Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.
Trust Him with your life today.
Make Him your Lord and your Savior.
Turn from your sin. Follow Jesus.
He will forgive you of your sin;
Cleanse your heart, made new within.

Men betraying: Our trust fraying.
On our knees to God we’re praying,
Seeking God to give us answers
That are only found in Him.
God is sovereign over all things.
Nothing from His mind escaping.
He has all things under His command,
And will work all for good.

Jesus Christ is gently calling
You to follow Him in all ways.

Men deceiving: We’re believing
In our Lord, and interceding
For our nation and its people
To obey their God today.
He is our hope for our future.
For our wounds He offers suture.
He is all we need for this life.
Trust Him with your life today.

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I Cried with All My Heart
An Original Work / July 24, 2025
Christ’s Free Servant, Sue J Love

I don't think there's a one size fits all theory to explain "deconversion".

I also think that perhaps, as Christians, we might do a better service if we actually listen to our non-believing friends and neighbors when they tell us their stories, especially their stories of why they left the faith. Shoveling everyone into a hole and saying, "They were never real believers anyway" is a proverbial ostrich with its head in the sand. There may be valid lessons to be learned as we take our neighbors seriously--especially when they share their real hurt, their real confusion, and are being genuinely vulnerable. If we truly want to take Jesus seriously, that means we are obligated to take our neighbors seriously--even when what they say may not be pleasant. There's no use in clutching pearls when our goal is to be Gospel people.

-CryptoLutheran

Michie said:

Today is July 20, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:41-42).
For many of us, these words feel challenging. Like Martha, we often carry concerns and responsibilities that weigh on our hearts. When Jesus speaks of Mary choosing the better part, it may sound as though he is dismissing Martha’s efforts. But that is not what is happening. Jesus is gently reminding us that only one thing matters in the end: the love we give and receive in him.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this balance between Martha and Mary. His life was a steady rhythm of prayer and action. He never neglected daily Mass or time spent with the Lord, yet he also threw himself into service. He called this his “Apostolate of Charity.”

‘Based on charity’​

Continued below.

The most perfect love

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s devoted prayer and service reveal Jesus’ invitation to choose love over anxiety.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

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Michie said:

Today is July 20, the Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time.
We read at today’s Mass, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her” (Lk 10:41-42).
For many of us, these words feel challenging. Like Martha, we often carry concerns and responsibilities that weigh on our hearts. When Jesus speaks of Mary choosing the better part, it may sound as though he is dismissing Martha’s efforts. But that is not what is happening. Jesus is gently reminding us that only one thing matters in the end: the love we give and receive in him.

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this balance between Martha and Mary. His life was a steady rhythm of prayer and action. He never neglected daily Mass or time spent with the Lord, yet he also threw himself into service. He called this his “Apostolate of Charity.”

‘Based on charity’​

Continued below.

The most perfect love

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s devoted prayer and service reveal Jesus’ invitation to choose love over anxiety.

www.oursundayvisitor.com

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I am truly sorry to respond to this post with a fundamental negative conclusion, but this error is so common in Catholic homilies, that to pass it by without comment would be to add to the error in understanding, and allow it further spread. The error is most clearly revealed in this : "Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati lived this balance between Martha and Mary."

I sincerely hope that he did not live "a balance between Martha and Mary"! We are not entrusted with the highest of the virtues, to "balance it" with something else. Charity ought never, ever be set aside in order to do anything. Charity must be lived always.
"Charity is the form of all the virtues." (CCC 2346).
"Charity is the soul of the holiness to which all are called: it 'governs, shapes, and perfects all the means of sanctification.'” (CCC 826)
"Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but ‘in body’ not ‘in heart.’“ (CCC 837)
"Charity is the theological virtue by which we love God above all things for his own sake, and our neighbor as ourselves for the love of God." (CCC 1822)
"Charity is superior to all the virtues. It is the first of the theological virtues: “So faith, hope, charity abide, these three. But the greatest of these is charity.” [1 Cor 13:13] (CCC 1826)
Finally, beware of doing a "good work" in order to gain goods for ourselves (the praise of men, a reward from God, something to advance my ambition,....) we in such a case would be a mere "hired man", a mercenary working for pay. No, "If we turn away from evil out of fear of punishment, we are in the position of slaves. If we pursue the enticement of wages, . . . we resemble mercenaries. Finally if we obey for the sake of the good itself and out of love for him who commands . . . we are in the position of children." [St. Basil] (CCC 1828)

We see the problem again here: "He never neglected daily Mass or time spent with the Lord, yet he also threw himself into service." May we never "throw ourselves into service" or works of any kind, again! We are too much, still, in our [old] selves and not in the new man or woman transformed in Christ! We must seek and long to die to ourselves in fact and Truth not just sacramentally and symbolically in Baptism. We must seek and long to live - to LIVE - in Christ, we in Him and He in us, in all that we are and do. Jesus calls us:

Abide [Remain, Dwell] in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide [remain, dwell] in Me. [Jn 15:4]

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May we never again leave prayer, to work. May we always remain in prayer, in our works! May we never again leave Christ and become of the world, in order to "do" works acceptable and pleasing to the world. That is the most "unbalanced" and contradictory of moves. Martha was fallen and of the world when she ordered Jesus to "tell her sister to help" her. She had judged and misjudged Jesus, accusing Him: "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?" Martha's "good" works had brought her no peace - He told her ""Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things..."

No, it is not a good thing thing to seek a "balance" between Mary, a woman here at peace in the Holy Truth of Jesus, and Martha, then a woman deep in the troubles of the world. There is no righteous balance to be found here. Martha became a saint! But her sister was way ahead of her in this scene.