We can sometimes mistakenly think that the writers of the Sacred Scriptures were these super-holy people. But that would be a mistake. They were most certainly inspired by the Holy Spirit, but they endured the same human struggles as you and me. St. Paul talks about his struggles. More in a sec. In the Gospel passage, Jesus talks about reading the signs of the times, and to settle with an opponent before you go to court.
“For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want.” Holy Cow! You know, if St. Paul hadn’t written those words nearly 2000 years ago, I certainly would have written them. Isn’t this part of the human condition? Our struggle for holiness. But I’m sure you’ve heard the old expression, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. It ain’t about the intentions. If it were, this whole holiness thing would be gravy. But it’s about the doing of the good. So what’s the answer?
St. Paul sums it up in the last line from today’s reading. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” You see, it’s not all about you. (Sorry!) It’s all about God. If left to our own devices, we will choose the wrong. We’ll continue to do the things we hate, even though we don’t want to, our intentions are good. We can only do the good, we can only achieve holiness, when we rely on God. Let’s remember to turn to Him constantly.
Father, you know that we long to strive for holiness. And you know, too, that we cannot do it on our own. Help us today, God, to do the good that we want. Amen.
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