Feast of the Holy Innocents, martyrs

God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say, “We have fellowship with him,” while we continue to walk in darkness, we lie and do not act in truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with one another, and the Blood of his Son Jesus cleanses us from all sin. If we say, “We are without sin,” we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing.

We are not perfect. We all have our blind spots and our sinful inclinations. However, as long as we try to walk in the light, recognize our sinfulness, and seek to amend our lives, then God will be merciful. We’ll get lost along the way through pride, envy, lust, or some other sin, but if we are contrite and seek fellowship with God, then He shall lead us back to where we need to be. The trouble comes when we cannot recognize our sinfulness or think we are better than others. If we are unable to recognize our vices, then we need to pray for God to show them to us so we can address them with humility and allow God to cleanse us of every wrongdoing.

Are we in fellowship with God? Are we striving to follow the way of light? What sins do we need to overcome in our lives?

O Lord, forgive and cleanse us.

Amen.