Monday of 1st week of Lent
There is an unbroken connection between the law of the Old Testament and the law of the New. That connection is the will of God to make us happy. Although we lost our primitive happiness and union with God by our own self-will and sin, God’s intention to bring us to eternal union with Him never altered. “The thoughts of His heart are to all generations–to deliver us and preserve us from evil.”
The problem is that, even though we have been baptized, confirmed, and attend Mass frequently, we are still weakened by the effects of original sin and our own freely-chosen sin. It’s very much like the man who had a heart attack and was revived and rehabilitated–though with a weakened heart. We continue to find it difficult to do good and avoid evil, particularly in a culture that has institutionalized so much hatred and injustice.
What is God’s response to this dilemma? It’s very simple. It is not enough for God to forgive us. It would be like letting us out of jail with no job skills, no money, no hope. We’d be right back in jail without help. God not only liberates us. He not only forgives us. He not only gives us this wonderful law to love our neighbor as ourselves. He actually makes us one with Christ and in Christ, changes by His grace our stony hearts into the heart of Jesus. Only then can we be truly holy.
Is there a catch? Certainly. The catch is that we have to practice using the heart of Christ every day. And today the exercise is doing good for someone else–feeding the hungry, educating the ignorant, praying for the living and the dead–all the corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Let’s pick one out and make certain to do it before we retire tonight.
