Twelfth Monday in Ordinary Time

And though the LORD warned Israel and Judah by every prophet and seer, "Give up your evil ways and keep my commandments and statutes, in accordance with the entire law which I enjoined on your fathers and which I sent you by my servants the prophets," they did not listen, but were as stiff-necked as their fathers, who had not believed in the LORD, their God. They rejected his statutes, the covenant which he had made with their fathers, and the warnings which he had given them, till, in his great anger against Israel, the LORD put them away out of his sight.

God calls upon all of us to give up our evil ways and keep His commandments. He has told us this through the prophets of the Old Testament, through His Son in the New Testament, and even through His Church. We have been given ample warning in this life to steer clear of the temptations of the world, the Devil, and indifference. If we fail to remain good and choose instead to do evil, we have no one to blame but ourselves. It is our own stiff necks, hardened by pride, that keep us from living as we should. However, if we are willing to bend our necks to the yoke of Christ and accept the sacrifices God asks of us, then we shall be able to leave behind our old lives of sin and wickedness and take up the Way, the Truth, and the Life of Christ.

What are the people, places, and things in our lives that God is warning us against? How can we rid ourselves of those influences and place our faith in God alone? What can we do to get rid of our evil ways and keep God's commandments?

O Lord, pour out your grace upon us and help us to keep your commandments.

Amen.