The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph

Put on, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one body.

As Christians, we are called to put on Christ and all his virtues. It is from his cloth that we are cut. We cannot be whole or holy without him. It is his compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience we are called to embody. And it is only through, with, and in him that we can learn to bear with and forgive one another. As Jesus forgave us through his sacrifice on the cross, so we must imitate him from our own crosses. So, let us be perfected through his love. Let the peace of Christ control our hearts so we might be one in body, mind, and spirit with him.

Have we put on Christ and all his virtues? Do we bear with and forgive others as God bears with and forgives us? Have we put on the love of Christ and allowed ourselves to be united with him in all things?

O Lord, may your peace control our hearts.

Amen.

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.