Friday of the Fifth Week of Easter

“It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities, namely, to abstain from meat sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meats of strangled animals, and from unlawful marriage. If you keep free of these, you will be doing what is right. Farewell.” And so they were sent on their journey. Upon their arrival in Antioch they called the assembly together and delivered the letter. When the people read it, they were delighted with the exhortation.

God doesn’t burden us beyond the necessities. He wants us to be as free as possible. He wants us to be uniquely Christ and to use our gifts and talents to know, love, and serve Him and His children. He gave us the Ten Commandments, the teachings of Christ, and the traditions of the Church to protect and empower us and not to stifle us. He wants us to do what is right in accordance with our distinctive characters because each of us reflects and magnifies individual aspects of His Divine Image. We do not stop being ourselves when we act in harmony with the Way of Jesus Christ, but rather by acting like him we become more like ourselves. We are the best versions of ourselves when we magnify the Lord, rejoice in our Savior, and give witness to the Love and Mercy of our glorious God.

Have we thanked God for the freedom He has given us? Do we choose to obey His commandments, live out the teachings, and embody the traditions of our faith? How do our lives reflect and magnify the Divine Image?

O Lord, keep us free from evil and lead us to do what is right.

Amen.