Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption. All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. So be imitators of God, as beloved children, and live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over for us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.

The road to Heaven isn’t always easy to follow, but God is very clear as to what He expects from us as we travel towards His Kingdom. He wants us to get rid of all the things that distract us from our goal or that might push others away from Him. That means removing bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, reviling, and all malice from our lives. In their stead, we are called to be kind to one another, even our enemies. We are asked to be compassionate and as forgiving as God is with us. We are given Jesus as our guide in all things. If we follow him and imitate his Way of Love, then we shall become God’s beloved children. This may require many sacrifices on our part, just as it did for Christ, but if we face our crosses with trust and carry them without complaint or anger, then we shall find ourselves well on our way to the Kingdom of God.

In what ways have we grieved the Holy Spirit? How can we rid ourselves of all those things that keep us from being Christ-like? What can we do to become faithful imitators of Jesus?

O Lord, rid us of our evil inclinations and make us more and more like you.

Amen.