Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary

We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.

The vocation of our lives as Christians is to be conformed to the image of Christ. This is why we take his name to describe us as a community of believers. It is from God that all good things come and it is through imitation of His Beloved Son that we do good and avoid evil. When we think, speak, and act like Jesus, we proclaim ourselves the brothers and sisters of Christ and accept all the responsibilities this relationship entails. We promise God to be holy, good, charitable, merciful, and virtuous to the best of our abilities. If we do this, then we will fulfill our purpose on this earth, be justified by Christ, and glorified at the Resurrection on the Last Day.

Are we conformed to the image of Christ? If not, then in what ways can we become more Christ-like in thought, word, and deed? How can we help others to become better Christians, too?

O Lord, conform us to yourself.

Amen.

Thirteenth Saturday of Ordinary Time

No one patches an old cloak with a piece of unshrunken cloth, for its fullness pulls away from the cloak and the tear gets worse. People do not put new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise the skins burst, the wine spills out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, they pour new wine into fresh wineskins, and both are preserved.

Jesus' teachings were new and as such, they required a fresh start on the part of his disciples. Their old lives couldn't just be patched up. The new commandments Jesus proclaimed required them to cast aside their old lives and put on the life of Christ. Their lives before meeting Christ and after are too incompatible to coexist. Anyone who tries to live the Christ-like life while still clinging to their old passions, desires, and pride will eventually burst and be ruined. The lives Jesus is calling us to live require us to remake ourselves in his image by becoming proper vessels of his love, mercy, and grace. It is only when we do so that we can carry his Good News and truly preserve ourselves and others.

Have we taken Jesus' teachings to heart and transformed our lives? Have we truly remade ourselves in his image? Are we living new and fresh lives in faith and casting aside our old selfish selves?

O Lord, make us new in your love.

Amen.