Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious

No one who is begotten by God commits sin, because God's seed remains in him; he cannot sin because he is begotten by God. In this way, the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain; no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God, nor anyone who does not love his brother.

As children of God, we are called to be saints, not sinners. We are asked to be righteous and not evil. We are asked to give up the easy and wide path of sin and choose the difficult and narrow one to holiness. We may fall and falter, but if we are children of God we recognize our faults and do something to rectify them. We confess our sins with humble and contrite hearts, do penance, and strive to avoid temptation and sin. If we find ourselves falling into the same sins again and again, then we need to change something about ourselves and the way we live so we can steer clear of our weaknesses and protect ourselves from our flaws. We should always put our best foot forward in resisting temptation and growing in righteousness so we might be worthy heirs to the Kingdom.

Are we righteous? How can we cultivate our sense of good and evil so we can act in accord with our Heavenly Father’s Will in all things? What can we do to avoid sin, especially those sins we are most tempted by?

O Lord, we want to belong to you... body, mind, and heart.

Amen.

The Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --greedy, dishonest, adulterous -- or even like this tax collector.  I fast twice a week, and I pay tithes on my whole income.’ But the tax collector stood off at a distance and would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.

We should never allow ourselves to be convinced of our own righteousness. All of us are sinners is some shape, form, or fashion. So of us are prideful, others envious, still more wrathful. Some are lustful, greedy, slothful, or gluttonous. As such, we should never see ourselves as better than others. This does not mean condoning other people's sins, but rather to remember that we are all in need of God's Mercy and as such we should act compassionately toward each other. Part of acting compassionately is pointing out when someone is doing something wrong and trying to help them do what is right. It doesn't matter how many "good" works we do if we do not do them with loving hearts and for the right reasons. It should be our aim in life to recognize our sinfulness, humbly ask for God's Mercy, and then try to amend our faults, great and small, so we can do God's Will more faithfully.

Do we believe we are better than certain people? How can we learn to be more humble and to remember we are sinners, too? Do we call out for God's Mercy with humble and contrite hearts?

O Lord, be merciful to us sinners.

Amen.

Thirty-First Thursday of Ordinary Time

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.”

It’s easy to love and relate with those whom we like. It is much more difficult to love those whom we do not like. However, this is what Jesus is calling us to do. He is asking us to go out of our way for those whom are lost in sin. We can’t do that if we judge the lost and decide they cannot be saved or are too much trouble to deal with. Instead, we need to love everyone as best we can and show them the mercy Jesus would if he was with us. We need to be willing to go the extra mile to know, love, and serve those who are in most need of God’s Love and Mercy. Thankfully, we are not alone. Jesus is with us and always willing to give us a hand.

Are we willing to search out those in need of God’s Love and Mercy? Do we make Jesus present to others through our thoughts, words, and works? Do we love everyone, even those we dislike, just as Jesus would?

O Lord, let us help you to find your lost sheep and bring them back into the fold.

Amen.