Friday of the 29th week in ordinary time year A
Rom. 7: 18-25a Luke 12: 54-59
Theme: The struggle between good and evil
In the 1st reading of today from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans, he points out the human struggle between doing what is good and right and doing what is sinful and evil. His desire is to do what is always good and right, but instead he sees himself moving towards doing the wrong things that are not his true desire. The assertion of St. Paul in todays 1st reading, is a similar struggle for all of us as children of God. What differentiates one from the other is the way we have tried to manage our desires at any point in time.
This is a reminder for all of us to be conscious of this fact and be mindful of how we manage situations in our life. Usually, sin comes in a very attractive way, but with the help of God, we should be able to manage situations in our lives in a way that it will be best for us and pleasing in the sight of God. The fact that we are children of the light is enough for us to always make conscious effort to ensure that works of darkness have no place anymore in our lives. We are privileged people because the word of God continues to remind us to be mindful of this fact, and we must make effort not to fall into such a mistake that can endanger our soul at the end of our earthly life.
In the gospel reading of today from St. Luke, Jesus admonishes his audience and all his children to be sincere about our judgements in our human relationships. We should be able to know when we have wronged our brother or sister and go to them for reconciliation, instead of dragging the situation and pretending that we do not know the right thing to do. One thing we must learn to do as children of God, is to be humble enough to say I am sorry, especially when we know we have made mistakes and hurt or offended someone else in the process. The fact that you initiate reconciliation and say I am sorry, does not mean that you are weak, it simply shows that you are very strong. It is only the strong who can keep everything aside and initiate the process of reconciliation.
May God grant us the grace to put this into practice in our daily lives, in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.