Seventeenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.  And even when you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.

It is through our baptism that we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We share in his death through our own weaknesses and sins, which he took upon himself and cleanses from us through the cross. We also share in his new life through our faith in him, the sacraments of His Holy Church, and through our choices to live in imitation of him. His love and forgiveness offer us a model to follow and a yoke to embrace. So, let us carry our crosses without complaint or hesitation and seek to know, love, and serve God and His children in all things.

How often do we renew our baptismal promises? What can we do to keep our calling to be Christ-like at the forefront of our minds? How can we help others to rise from the death of sin and be resurrected into a new life?

O Lord, destroy the chains of sin and raise us to new lives in you.

Amen.