Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. 

We all have parts of our lives that need to be put to death in order to live like Christ. Some of us fight against immorality, others impurity, still others with passions and evil desires. We all have our areas of idolatry where something other than God takes center stage in our hearts and minds. We need to stop lying to others and ourselves and take off these old, sinful selves and put on the yoke of Christ. It is only by doing this that we can be renewed in faith, hope, and charity. It is the only way we can come to know, love, and serve God and His children as they deserve. It is the only path that will lead us to become true reflections of the Holy and Divine Image that resides within each of us.

What do we need to put to death in our lives? How can we rid ourselves of all those things that tarnish the image of God within us? What should we do to take off our sinful selves and put on Christ?

O Lord, help us to put to death our sins and imperfections.

Amen.