January 30, 2025

MORE PLEASING THAN THE LAW

Sirach 35:1-3

The man who keeps the law will abound in offerings;
He who heeds the commandments sacrifices a peace offering.
He who returns a kindness offers fine wheat flour,
And he who does alms sacrifices a praise offering.
To forsake evil is pleasing to the Lord,
And to forsake wrongdoing is atonement.

Encouraging Words

In the Old Testament, God entered into a covenant with the Jewish people and gave them a set of laws and traditions to follow. We know of the beginning of these laws as the ten commandments. Unfortunately, just as we see happening today, zealous leaders replaced their love for God with their focus on the law. Sirach reminds us that it is the nature of the laws that is important, not just the letter of the law. Heeding the essence of the law, which is loving God and loving our neighbor, as Jesus commanded us in the New Testament covenant, is the same as making a peace offering to God. Giving kindness to another is as powerful as a wheat offering. Giving alms to the poor and those in need equals a praise offering. Forsaking evil and wrongdoing is pleasing to God and helps atone us of our own wrongdoings. It is not about posting the laws on the walls or beating others over the heads with them. It is about living lives loving God and loving our neighbor. Lord, have Lord mercy! Lord, have Mercy! Lord, have merey!

January 29 ,2025

PURSUE THESE

2 Timothy 2:22-26

Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. But avoid foolish and ignorant disputes, knowing that they generate strife. And a servant of the Lord must not quarrel but be gentle to all, able to teach, patient, in humility correcting those who are in opposition, if God perhaps will grant them repentance, so that they may know the truth, and that they may come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will.

Personal Challenge

Under the guidance of God, Paul gave Timothy some great instruction that is still valid today. First of all, to flee youthful lusts and desires and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace out of a pure heart. These are truly signs of maturity and growth in a person unlike so many childish and vengeful behaviors that we are seeing today in our country and its leadership. Avoid foolish and ignorant disputes and quarrels. This does not mean that we stop fighting against injustice and lies. It just means that we do not get sucked into the pettiness of those who support that behavior. By being gentle to all, able to teach, patient, and humbly correcting the opposition, we can maintain our balance, our centeredness, and our integrity. We let God then convict the other that they might come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil that they are trapped in. If we truly want to win in our resistance to the opposition, we must maintain ourselves above their approaches.

January 28, 2025

WHO IS MY SUPPORT?

Sirach 34:15-17

Blessed is the soul of a man who fears the Lord.
To whom does he look? And who is his support?
The eyes of the Lord are upon those who love Him.
He is a powerful protection and a strong support:
A shelter from the burning heat,
A shelter from the noonday sun,
A guard from stumbling,
And help from a fall.
He raises up the soul
And gives light to the eyes.
He gives healing, life, and blessing.

Encouraging Words

As a follower of Christ, I trust and respect my Lord. I believe in who He is and what He stands for. I am also saddened to see so much activity in the world today that is so contradictory to His teachings and yet proclaiming to be doing these activities in His name. Lord, have mercy. As I read through this passage, I am reminded how blessed I am because I do trust and respect Him. I know that He is always watching over me. He is my powerful and strong support, even in these crazy, hostile times. He is my shelter from the burning heat and the noonday sun. He guards my feet from stumbling and falling as long as I stay on His path. He lifts me up when I do veer and stumble. And He gives me light in the darkness, healing, life, and blessing. Glory be to God!

January 27, 2025

BE DILIGENT

2 Timothy 2:14-17a

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. And their message will spread like cancer.

Personal Challenge

If we are followers of Christ, then we have a responsibility to diligently represent Him in ways that will build Him and the Church up. We do this by doing His work His way! We rightly divide the word of truth, not with our interpretations, but the interpretations of the Church that has been vetted and affirmed for 2,000 years. This is how we shun profane and idle babblings that lead to heresies. We have a significant responsibility to glorify our God and not men. Lord have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!

January 26, 2025

OUR HOPE

Sirach 34:13-14

The spirit of those who fear the Lord will live,
For their hope is in Him who saves them.
He who fears the Lord will fear nothing,
And he will not be cowardly, for the Lord is his hope.

Encouraging Words

True followers of Christ fear their God. This is not a cowering, afraid of punishment type of response, for God is loving and merciful. This is a deep awe and respect type of response to our Lord's immeasurable love for us. What flows from this is that our hope becomes anchored in our Lord. Through that hope we will fear nothing and never yield to those things, or people, that act counter to the love of our God. It is not enough to don the moniker of "Christian". To be a follower of Christ, the fruit of our labor must be Christ-like. This means loving our neighbor, protecting the alien amongst us, caring for those in need, and being Christ's example in all that we do and say, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!

January 25, 2025

Saint of the Week

St. Ignatius of Antioch

January 24, 2025

WHO ARE WE IN HIM?

2 Timothy 2:11-13

This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,
We shall also live with Him.
If we endure,
We shall also reign with Him.
If we deny Him,
He also will deny us.
If we are faithless,
He remains faithful;
He cannot deny Himself.

Encouraging Words

Our relationship with God through Jesus Christ is not about words or labels such as "Christian" that we apply to ourselves. It is about our hearts and the Christ-like actions that flow from our relationship with Him. We do not do our actions to garner favor from God, He gives it freely. Our actions flow from the love for God that Jesus and the Holy Spirit produce by dwelling within us. Because of this we are willing to die for Him for we know that we will live with Him. We live for Him because we know that through Him, we will endure with Him. He will always be faithful. Glory to God!