Monday of the 21st week in ordinary time year A
1 Thes. 1:1-5.8b-10 Mat. 23:13-22
Theme: Called to be saints
Today the church celebrates the memorial of St. Augustine of Hippo, a Bishop and Doctor of the church. A man whose life continues to inspire so many people in different ways, especially those struggling to come out of one habit or the other. He is the patron saint of brewers. This is because of his interests in his early stage of life before his conversion. The life of saint Augustine after his conversion, points out the fact that we are all capable of becoming saints, nobody is born a saint. The most important thing is that we understand this fact and do all we can to live a good life that is pleasing to God.
Some of the saints we celebrate in the church, did not live good lives from the very beginning of their lives, but when they changed their ways, they served God with sincerity and gave everything to live according to the teachings of the scriptures. One of such saints is the saint we celebrate today; another one is saint Paul. This simply shows that God does not write anybody off, it is only you who can write yourself off. St. Augustine once cried to God, “Too late have I loved you”. This was his thinking, but not that of God. He welcomes us back to himself, any time we return to him remorsefully. The most important thing is our resolve to embrace the new way of life presented to us by Christ. St. Augustine did it and never regretted it. Just know that you can also do it today.
We are all encouraged today to make honest and sincere effort to live a life that is worthy of emulation and always pleasing to God. Becoming a true ambassador for Christ and impacting positively in the lives of all those who encounter us is very important. The little effort we make daily in our life will amount to something in due time. Never be discouraged when you fall shot of the standard you have set for yourself, in line with the teaching of the word of God. Remember, on the way to calvary Jesus fell three times, and each time he stood up and continued his journey. Whenever you fall on your journey to self-discovery in Christ, don’t loose hope, dust yourself stand up and continue your journey. Just know that with your persistence you will get to your destination with the help of God. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.