Seventeenth Monday in Ordinary Time

Again I went to the Parath, sought out and took the loincloth from the place where I had hid it. But it was rotted, good for nothing! Then the message came to me from the LORD: Thus says the LORD: So also I will allow the pride of Judah to rot, the great pride of Jerusalem. This wicked people who refuse to obey my words, who walk in the stubbornness of their hearts, and follow strange gods to serve and adore them, shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing.

If we don't obey God's Divine Word and follow His Way, Truth, and Life, then we are good for nothing. If false idols rule our lives and sins chain us, then we shall rot away. If our hearts are stubborn and our minds prideful, we shall be empty of all good. Nothing we think, say, or do will amount to anything. We shall be hollow vessels, clanging cymbals, rotten fruits. It is only when we put God first and foremost in our lives that we bear good fruits, sing God's praise worthily, and fill ourselves with God's Love, Mercy, and Goodness. Once we do that, then, and only then, will we be good for something.

Are there areas of our lives which are good for nothing? How can we rid ourselves of these weaknesses and put our time, talents, and treasures to greater use? What can we do to avoid rotting away from sin and indifference?

O Lord, make us good for something.

Amen.