Friday 27 October
Friday of week 29 in Ordinary Time First reading - Romans 7:18-25 “In my inmost self I dearly love God’s Law, but I can see that my body follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates”. How correct is what St. Paul says! How many times we have resolutions in our life not to do this thing or that thing? And how many times we repeated the same thing! This law that I follow is my selfishness. And the law which my inmost self, filled with the grace of baptism and confirmation, wants to follow is the love of God. My desire to follow my selfishness is strong and enslaving. And the desire of the inner self to follow the love of God is subtle and liberating. Since the former is strong and enslaving, we often become a prisoner of that law. And St. Paul saw that Jesus Christ is only liberator from this prison. The moment we call and confide to Jesus Christ we can be liberated from this prison. The desire to call Jesus Christ comes from the subtle but liberating presence of the Holy Spirit in our heart. This Holy Spirit is the result of our Baptism. Let’s reflect: Do I call Jesus Christ when I am driven to sin?
Thursday 26 October
Thursday of week 29 in Ordinary Time First reading - Romans 6:19-23 “Now, however, you have been set free from sin…” This is the real effect of salvation. We are set free. We are liberated. We are liberated from our past. We are liberated from our sins. Our sanctification is our liberation. Our freedom to choose God and to walk with God in life. That life is eternal. The sin after this liberation is to ignore the possibility of walking with God to eternal life. When we ignore this possibility of being at the service of this love of God, we sin. When we do accept this possibility of serving the love of God we walk into the path of sanctification. This is our choice with our liberty gained for us by the Christ Jesus our Lord. This interiority, this intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is our liberty. Let’s reflect: Do I recognize the liberty gained for me by Christ Jesus our Lord?
Wednesday 25 October
Wednesday of week 29 in Ordinary Time First reading - Romans 6:12-18 “you should make every part of your body into a weapon fighting on the side of God”. This explains the reason for having the grace of God. The grace of God helps us to make everything in us to be an instrument of God’s plan. What we have, our talents, our capacities, everything must be instruments of God’s plan. We must not let our selfishness use our talents or our capacities. When we let that happen in us, our talents and capacities will become an unholy weapon inside us fighting against us. Whereas, when we become instrument of God’s grace, we let ourselves living in the life of Jesus Christ. We will be freed from the slavery of our selfishness, and we become servants of the love of God. So, let us make sure that all we have, and what we are, are at the service of God’s grace. Let’s reflect: Am I willfully trying to make everything in me, an instrument of God’s grace?