Today's Reading
Ezekiel 37:23-28
No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols,
their abominations, and all their transgressions.
I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy,
and cleanse them so that they may be my people
and I may be their God.
My servant David shall be prince over them,
and there shall be one shepherd for them all;
they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.
They shall live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,
the land where their fathers lived;
they shall live on it forever,
they, and their children, and their children's children,
with my servant David their prince forever.
I will make with them a covenant of peace;
it shall be an everlasting covenant with them,
and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.
My dwelling shall be with them;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD,
who make Israel holy,
when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.
Ezekiel 37:23-28
No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols,
their abominations, and all their transgressions.
I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy,
and cleanse them so that they may be my people
and I may be their God.
My servant David shall be prince over them,
and there shall be one shepherd for them all;
they shall live by my statutes and carefully observe my decrees.
They shall live on the land that I gave to my servant Jacob,
the land where their fathers lived;
they shall live on it forever,
they, and their children, and their children's children,
with my servant David their prince forever.
I will make with them a covenant of peace;
it shall be an everlasting covenant with them,
and I will multiply them, and put my sanctuary among them forever.
My dwelling shall be with them;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Thus the nations shall know that it is I, the LORD,
who make Israel holy,
when my sanctuary shall be set up among them forever.
Reflection
“It is I, the Lord, who make Israel holy...” Ultimately, it is God who saves us through grace. Even the desire and ability to conform to grace is a grace! It is called prevenient grace. “No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.”
However, we cannot sit back and expect God to do all the work. As St. Augustine says, “God created us without our permission and He will not save us without our permission.” Lent is not over, if you struggled so far to do what your proposed to do, start anew right now! If you forgot or did not plan to do anything, decide now and begin again! If you failed every single day of Lent thus far in being patient with your boss, sibling, family member or friends, start again today! You can do it! You know why? Because of grace. God is giving you the grace to be patient, to make the decided sacrifice, to do x,y,z that you resolved to do this Lent. If it is not working out, then ask for the grace to respond to God’s grace. Show Him your willingness and He will overwhelm you with success.
There is no reason to doubt our Father’s generosity for He says through Ezekiel, “My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” If He choses to dwell with us, and if He chooses to be our God, and if He chooses to claim us as His own, then why would He not do everything to help us? We just have to ask. Today, ask for the grace to respond to all of the graces He wants to give you.
“It is I, the Lord, who make Israel holy...” Ultimately, it is God who saves us through grace. Even the desire and ability to conform to grace is a grace! It is called prevenient grace. “No longer shall they defile themselves with their idols, their abominations, and all their transgressions. I will deliver them from all their sins of apostasy, and cleanse them so that they may be my people and I may be their God.”
However, we cannot sit back and expect God to do all the work. As St. Augustine says, “God created us without our permission and He will not save us without our permission.” Lent is not over, if you struggled so far to do what your proposed to do, start anew right now! If you forgot or did not plan to do anything, decide now and begin again! If you failed every single day of Lent thus far in being patient with your boss, sibling, family member or friends, start again today! You can do it! You know why? Because of grace. God is giving you the grace to be patient, to make the decided sacrifice, to do x,y,z that you resolved to do this Lent. If it is not working out, then ask for the grace to respond to God’s grace. Show Him your willingness and He will overwhelm you with success.
There is no reason to doubt our Father’s generosity for He says through Ezekiel, “My dwelling shall be with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” If He choses to dwell with us, and if He chooses to be our God, and if He chooses to claim us as His own, then why would He not do everything to help us? We just have to ask. Today, ask for the grace to respond to all of the graces He wants to give you.
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