But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought us to life, with Christ (by grace you have been saved);
Scripture for
reflection: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit within you whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For
you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
From a sermon by
St. Leo the Great, pope: The fear of death has been swallowed up; life
brings us joy with the promise of eternal happiness. No one is shut out from
this joy; all share the same reason for rejoicing. Our Lord, victor over sin
and death, finding no man free from sin, came to free us all. Let the saint
rejoice as he sees the palm of victory at hand. Let the sinner be glad as he
receives the offer of forgiveness. Let the pagan take courage as he is summoned
to life….Beloved, let us give thanks to God the Father, through his Son, in the
Holy Spirit, because in his great love for us he took pity on us, and when we
were dead in our sins he brought us to life with Christ, so that in him we
might be a new creation. Let us throw off our old nature and all its ways and,
as we have come to birth in Christ, let us renounce the works of the flesh.
Christian, remember your dignity, and now that you share in God’s own nature,
do not return by sin to your former base condition. Bear in mind who is your
head, and of whose body you are a member. Do not forget that you have been
rescued from the power of darkness and brought into the light of God’s kingdom.
Through the sacrament of baptism you have become a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Do not drive away so great a guest by evil conduct and become again a slave to
the devil, for your liberty was bought by the blood of Christ. (Taken from Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of
the Hours, St. Paul Editions, 1976)
Prayer: “Shepherd
of Souls”
Shepherd of souls, in love come feed us, Life-giving Bread for hungry hearts!
To those refreshing waters lead us
Where dwells that peace your grace imparts.
May we, the wayward in your fold
By your forgiveness rest consoled. (Taken from Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours, St. Paul Editions, 1976)
My thoughts: I
was recently engaged in a conversation with someone who was insisting that God
made us all good, and therefore all we do is good, as long as we don’t hurt
anyone. I was a bit taken aback at this statement. I wondered if my friend had
recently taken a good look at the world. Man is capable of intense evil and
hatred; man can hurt his fellow man in thought, word and deed; man cannot save
himself from this nature. Only Christ, who is God come to earth, can do that.
St. Leo tells us that we have been rescued from darkness, and that we should
strive every single day not to return to it. We are reminded that we are
temples of the Holy Spirit. If we let him guide our every action, we will live
in the light. If we choose to persist in our evil ways, we will drive him away.
I shudder to think what replaces him in our hearts. Choose the light,
acknowledge your weaknesses before God and ask Him to fill you with His
redeeming grace so that a world that has gone dark with violence may one day
reflect the light that now lives in us! Christ Jesus, save us from ourselves.
Amen.
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