Deepen And Develop Your Virtuous Acts

Friday of the 1st week of Lent 

Ezekiel 18:21-28
Matthew 5:20-26

To call a person a “fool” or “renegade” is certainly belittling & insulting.That is why in today’s gospel (Mtt 5: 20-26) Jesus spoke about the way we should treat one another. When we use abusive names or treat ourselves wrongfully, it is also an insult and a reproval level at God who made all human beings in His image. Thus, let us be careful and on the value we bring to the words we speak. Our virtue must exceed beyond human wisdom.

To rediscover the path of righteousness that Christ tells us today, the righteousness that beyond human level of understanding and that requires faith, First and foremost, Jesus is not talking about the World but the Kingdom of God. As such, only godly virtues are reckoned here and this would necessarily clash with the values of the world.

Secondly, just as Christ though God, emptied Himself and became a servant for our sake (Philippians 2:7), so too the greatest in God’s Kingdom must empty himself to become childlike, embracing humility, simplicity, obedience, service, innocence and total dependence on God as a child depends entirely on its parents. Are these virtues found in you?

The kingdom of God is not food and drink, but joy and righteousness in the Holy Spirit which demands a conscious attempt to break away from sin to live a holy life. Our only consolation is that the sufferings and the pains we bear for the sake of Christ and His Church will bring eternal gains in the end that cannot be quantified.

The journey of Lent is not a sprint, but a marathon. If things don’t seem to be happening right away, be patient. Lent is about our personal purification: Personal change. This is called “ongoing conversion.” and it has to be wholesome. May God give us the grace to see Him in our brothers & sisters. Amen.

PRAYER

“Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yes, our God is merciful”. Psalm 116:5. Today and every day, may we come to acknowledge the grace, mercy, and righteousness of God. May we all be richly blessed as we daily listen to God’s word, meditating and acting on it, and willingly spreading it to the glory of God.

Fr Joseph Osho