Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time

We always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord Jesus Christ. 

God has made us worthy of our callings in this life. He has given us the graces we need. He has provided us with gifts and talents and treasures sufficient to accomplish the works He wants us to do. He has blessed us in ways seen and unseen all so we might fulfill His Will on earth. If we fail to do good or avoid evil, it is not because He did not help us enough. It is because we ignored our calling, settled for something less, or choose a sinful life over a holy one. It is our fault and ours alone when we fall short because we are weighed down by doubts, fears, apathy, or selfishness. However, if we are willing to shrug off these things and place our trust in God, then there is no limit to how far we can go. We will be able to make the leaps of faith we need in order to achieve God’s Will and the world, including ourselves, will be better off for it.

Do we bring to fulfillment every good purpose and effort of faith? Do our thoughts, words, and works glorify God? What can we do to live up to the calling God has given us?

O Lord, make us worthy of your calling.

Amen.