Memorial of Saint Teresa of Jesus, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before others the Son of Man will acknowledge before the angels of God. But whoever denies me before others will be denied before the angels of God.

Very few of us will ever outright deny Jesus, but all of us deny him in some shape, form, or fashion. We deny him when we sin. We deny him when we fail to do good. We deny him to our families, friends, and neighbors who challenge our way of Christian living. We deny him especially in those whom we have the most difficulty in loving. However, God understands that we will turn our backs on Him and fall and that is why He gave us His Beloved Son as an example of what it means to triumph over our human frailties. He shows us how to carry our crosses with confidence. He shows us how to show compassion even in the midst of our own trials. He shows us how to forgive those who trespass against us. He shows us what it means to give hope to the hopeless. He shows us how to persevere even when we feel abandoned by God. He shows us that he loves us like brothers and sisters by giving us his Mother to watch over and intercede for us. He shows us how to thirst for righteousness. He shows us how to accomplish God's Will. He shows us how to commend our spirits to God. And most importantly, he shows us how to pour out God's Love and Mercy to a world in need of them both.

In what ways do we deny Jesus? How can we transform our hearts so we can turn our denials of God's Will into whole-hearted acceptance of it? How can our lives show God's Love and Mercy to others?

O Lord, we acknowledge you as our Lord, our Savior, and our perfect Model.

Amen.