Twenty-Seventh Tuesday of Ordinary Time

"Neither man nor beast, neither cattle nor sheep, shall taste anything; they shall not eat, nor shall they drink water. Man and beast shall be covered with sackcloth and call loudly to God; every man shall turn from his evil way and from the violence he has in hand. Who knows, God may relent and forgive, and withhold his blazing wrath, so that we shall not perish." When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way, he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them; he did not carry it out.

Acts of repentance both cleanse and renew us spiritually. Through fasting, almsgiving, and praying we show God we are serious about changing our lives and making amends. By turning our back on our evil ways and denying temptations, we choose the better life over the easier one. When we sin, we either repent or harden our hearts. The former leads to forgiveness and everlasting life, while the latter leads to death and damnation. It might not be easy to turn from our evil ways, but it is necessary if we want to live and spend eternity with God in the Heavenly Kingdom. Thankfully, God is loving and merciful and more than willing to forgive us as many times as it takes for us to finally convert our hearts and do God’s Will always and in every way.

What do we need to repent for? How can we show God the sincerity of our repentance? Can we convert our hearts to what is right in the face of our temptations?

O Lord, help us to turn away from our evil ways and follow you.

Amen.