I find it very comforting to know that the great Apostle St. Paul struggled with temptation and sin just as we do. He shares with us that even a wretched man like him is saved through the grace of Christ alone. We too must cling to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ when faced with terrible temptations. This is especially true when we want to do the right thing but end up doing the wrong thing.
We must turn our eyes and focus on Christ. Cry out for His mercy and we shall be saved. The Gospel reminds us that by striving for holiness, we too are able to judge the signs of our times. We must choose to remain steadfast even though the world is changing and turning the world upside down. We must always choose the path of Christ.
He lights the way for us. He is the truth, the way, and the life. Let there be no quarrels among us and our brethren as we choose to remain steadfast in Christ our Lord. Amen.
Saint Antony Mary Claret, Bishop pray for us…
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First reading
Romans 7:18-25
Every time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand
I know of nothing good living in me – living, that is, in my unspiritual self – for though the will to do what is good is in me, the performance is not, with the result that instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want. When I act against my will, then, it is not my true self doing it, but sin which lives in me.
In fact, this seems to be the rule, that every single time I want to do good it is something evil that comes to hand. In my inmost self I dearly love God’s Law, but I can see that my body follows a different law that battles against the law which my reason dictates. This is what makes me a prisoner of that law of sin which lives inside my body.
What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body doomed to death?
Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!
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Gospel
Luke 12:54-59
Do you not know how to interpret these times?
Jesus said to the crowds: ‘When you see a cloud looming up in the west you say at once that rain is coming, and so it does. And when the wind is from the south you say it will be hot, and it is. Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?
‘Why not judge for yourselves what is right? For example: when you go to court with your opponent, try to settle with him on the way, or he may drag you before the judge and the judge hand you over to the bailiff and the bailiff have you thrown into prison. I tell you, you will not get out till you have paid the very last penny.’
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