“THE KINGDOM OF GOD WILL BE TAKEN AWAY FROM YOU AND GIVEN TO A PEOPLE THAT WILL PRODUCE ITS FRUIT.” MT 21:33-43, 45-46
Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary and Joseph.
Prayer Prompt before reading MT 21:33-43, 45-46: Come, Holy Spirit, teach me how to pray, interpret the Scriptures for me so that I may know the Truth about who God the Father and God the Son are so that I may know who I am.
We have all been the Pharisees before. God sent prophets and His own Son to reveal His Will to the world. God wants us back in heaven with Him. The Jews rejected the prophets and now Jesus. Fear, hatred, jealousy, pride, selfishness can all deter or distract us from striving to be holy. I know I have fallen in some or all of these areas before. Jesus warns us that the “Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit, ” if we do not repent and change.
The opposite of fear is trust, the opposite of hatred is love, the opposite of jealousy is gratitude, the opposite of pride is poor in Spirit/humility/detachment from worldly goods (God is big I am small, I need God) and the opposite of selfishness is unselfishness or a servant.
The Devil brought envy into the world because he wanted to be God. The opposite of the Devil is humility. When we have pride we make ourselves gods. Jesus teaches us and models humility. He is the cornerstone the builders rejected. He emptied Himself and became a slave to give His life for the ransom of many.
He came to serve, not to be served. He models holiness for us. If we are struggling in one of these areas, we can come to God’s grace, mercy, and love and ask Him to help us repent, change the way we look at life, and cooperate with the Father’s will.
Jesus teaches us justice today as well, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” I don’t know about you, but I need to be held accountable. I need to sweat in line in confession. I need to know that my pride and selfishness can lead to destruction and ultimately living in hell for all eternity.
This is something that has been lost even in our own Catholic faith today. If there is no accountability, everyone lives in mediocrity. It is a staple of our culture today. God’s power that lives in us calls us to so much more. It is the hardest and scariest decision you will ever make, but one with eternal rewards! If it didn’t cost something, it wouldn’t be the Truth!
Today’s challenge: Repent and change your life, grow in holiness by recognizing how much we need God, increase your prayer, love your soul more than your body, and serve others. Take ownership of your actions and forgive, go to confession and set things right with God!
Be a servant, be a saint today!
#Christian YODO (You Only Die Once; We will live again!)
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