The Most Holy Name of Mary (Optional Memorial)
… so that in me, as the foremost [of sinners], Christ Jesus might display all his patience as an example. (1 Timothy 1:16)
It can be very easy to feel dejected in the Christian life, especially when we struggle with a pattern of sin that is hard to break. And we may very well think that to be a good Christian, we need to be on our best behavior and always appear perfectly holy. Isn’t that the way to win people over? But in reality, our witness has the potential to shine even more brightly as we ACTIVELY
engage in the struggle against sin and as we acknowledge our weakness and receive God’s mercy.Look at St. Paul. From the moment of his conversion, he learned that God could take a sinner—whether it’s someone battling against sin or even someone completely oblivious to God—and transform him or her. And as Paul demonstrates, that transformed life can be a very compelling testimony! It shows more than just the timeless truths of the gospel; it demonstrates how the gospel is lived out in the rough-and-tumble of everyday life. This is why Paul told Timothy that in the end, his most powerful testimony was the example of God’s mercy working in him.
So don’t be afraid of your failures! Of course, don’t rejoice in them. But be sure not to let your moments of weakness—past or present—keep you from walking into the future God has for you. It’s the devil’s job to accuse us and to keep us under a cloud of oppression. But it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convince us that nothing can separate us from the love of God. It’s also the Spirit’s job to take a messy situation and turn it to good—even if that “good” is the witness of your repentance, your growth in humility, or your deepening relationship with the Lord.
At every Easter Vigil, we rejoice in the “happy fault that earned so great, so glorious, a REDEEMER
.” We rejoice in the fact that Jesus is constantly at work in us, using even our weaknesses to demonstrate his power. May we all embrace our role to be witnesses to the gospel—witnesses of reconciliation and transformation!“Lord, I trust you to use my weakness to demonstrate your mercy and power!” Amen!
Psalm 113:1 Halleluyah!
Servants of Adonai, give praise!
Give praise to the name of Adonai!
2 Blessed be the name of Adonai
from this moment on and forever!
3 From sunrise until sunset
Adonai’s name is to be praised.
4 Adonai is high above all nations,
his glory above the heavens.
5 Who is like Adonai our God,
seated in the heights,
6 humbling himself to look
on heaven and on earth.
7 He raises the poor from the dust,
lifts the needy from the rubbish heap,
Luke 6:43 “For no good tree produces bad fruit, nor does a bad tree produce good fruit. 44 Each tree is recognized by its own fruit — figs aren’t picked from thorn bushes, nor grapes from a briar patch. 45 The good person produces good things from the store of good in his heart, while the evil person produces evil things from the store of evil in his heart. For his mouth speaks what overflows from his heart.
46 “Why do you call me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ but not do what I say? 47 Everyone who comes to me, hears my words and acts on them — I will show you what he is like: 48 he is like someone building a house who dug deep and laid the foundation on bedrock. When a flood came, the torrent beat against that house but couldn’t shake it, because it was constructed well. 49 And whoever hears my words but doesn’t act on them is like someone who built his house on the ground without any foundation. As soon as the river struck it, it collapsed and that house became a horrendous wreck!”
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