A WORD FOR TODAY 17 OCTOBER 2019

A WORD FOR TODAY

WITH THE LORD THERE IS MERCY AND PLENTIFUL REDEMPTION

We are reminded in the first reading of today by saint Paul that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory, as such we cannot boast of anything of our own because we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. Jesus came and died for all and anyone believes in Him shall be saved, both the Jews and the Gentiles.

Sin seperates us from God and makes us not to be His friends anymore. It wounds us and makes it difficult for us to stand in His presence with confidence to call upon His name. However, God did not allow man to be destroyed when he sinned, instead, He sent His Son our Lord Jesus to come and die for us and by shedding of His blood He has redeemed us. Therefore, anyone who with faith seeks the face of Jesus and asks for His mercy shall be saved.

There is no need for us to remain in sin for grace to abound. No, we must make effort to turn away from our sinful ways so that we may find eternal life. If you are strong already in Christ, you must show love to those who are weak and help them to become strong also. None of us is worthy except by grace and because in the Lord there is mercy and plentiful redemption, we can access his throne of grace and mercy if we seek Him in our heart with faith.

Jesus did not want the Scribes and the Pharisees to perish, that is the reason He continued to point out to them the things they are doing wrong so that they could repent and find salvation. However, they were angry that He is telling them the truth and they continued to provoke Him so that they will catch Him in something He might say and then destroy Him.

We must not be like them, they laid a burden on the people which they themselves cannot carry and they twisted the law of the Lord to suit themselves. They operate with a double standard and manipulate others to their own advantage. This is not the way of Christ. If we must follow Him, we must love the truth and do those things that will please Him, we must humble ourselves and accept the truth when we hear it and then it should move us to seek for God's mercy so as to be saved.

We must surrender our heart to Christ so that He can save us. He is willing to show us mercy if we are ready to turn away from our evil ways. There is no need to brag in sin and continue to live as if it does not matter, there is need for us to repent and return back to the Lord. If we return we shall find mercy from the Lord who is ready to welcome us back because He does not want us to perish.

Today we celebrate the memorial of saint Ignatius of Antioch. (Martyr). He was the second bishop of Antioch after saint Peter. He was arrested and condemned to death, and transported to Rome where he was thrown to wild beasts at the Colleseum around 107. He wrote a lot of letters encouraging the Christians of the early Church to remain faithful till the end. We must learn from Him to be true witnesses for Christ and to remain steadfast in professing His name till the end of time.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you do your work and do have a wonderful day. May Jesus give you the heart to accept the truth and to repent of your sins. Amen. And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meditation: Romans 3:21-30/Psalm 130:1-6/Luke 11:47-54

Watch-Word: I am the way, the truth and the life, says the Lord.

God is merciful and you will find His mercy when you repent of your sins and seek His face.

(Thursday of the 28th week in the Ordinary time, Year 1)