“In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.”   HEB 12:1-4

Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.

Brothers and sisters:
Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses,
let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us
and persevere in running the race that lies before us
while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus,
the leader and perfecter of faith.
For the sake of the joy that lay before him
Jesus endured the cross, despising its shame,
and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God.
Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners,
in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.
In your struggle against sin
you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.   HEB 12:1-4

St. Paul is hard core today!  Has anyone resisted sin to the point of shedding blood?  Ouch!  One thing this teaches us is that even the greats sinned.  St. Paul, Peter, the Apostles, St. Francis, me and you.  The challenge lies in how hard you fight sin.  Since we are baptized and we have the sacraments to receive God’s grace with sound doctrine in morality to be formed to know right from wrong, we can fight and conquer sin.  First, we must recognize we cannot do it alone.  It is not until we kneel at the foot of the cross and learn what Christ did for us that we will start to really examine our conscience. Then, we begin to see how sinful we really are.  We then either give up or “persevere in running the race that lies before us”. It is daunting, but achievable.  How tough are you?  The saints were amazingly tough, mentally, spiritually, and physically. They went to confession weekly or daily, received the Eucharist daily, fasted to the point of crazy, gave until it hurt!  What is the difference between the saints and everyone else?  They believed, they persevered, they swallowed their pride and allowed God to transform them, they were tough!

Today’s challenge: Find a book to reflect on the Passion of Christ and the details of His Passion from one of the saints.  Examine your conscience slowly and completely.  Make a good confession.  Start the battle to conquer sin in your life and live your baptismal promise to grow in holiness and fight Satan with God’s grace and your will.

Be a servant, become a saint!
#Christian YOLO