Twenty-First Friday in Ordinary Time

Rejoice in the Lord, you just! The LORD loves those who hate evil; he guards the lives of his faithful ones; from the hand of the wicked he delivers them.

Evil can be alluring. It can be easy. It can tempt us in many ways. But no matter how alluring or easy or tempting it is, it ultimately leads to destruction. Destruction of our relationship with God. Destruction of our connections to family, friends, and neighbors. Destruction of ourselves from the inside out. Evil is corruptive by nature. It decomposes us in body, mind, and soul. It breaks us down and turns us into bleached corpses, dried out and lifeless. This is why we must strive so hard to guard against evil and all its empty promises. If we don’t then we will have no one to blame but ourselves because God give us everything we need to overcome our temptations and be freed from the chains of sin.

Do we hate evil? Are we guarding our lives against it? How can we grow in goodness and help others to do the same?

O Lord, we hate evil, guard our lives against its empty promises.

Amen.