Readings: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ps. 107:2-9, Matthew 22:34-40
“And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open your graves, and bring you up from your graves, O my people. I will put my spirit within you, and you shall live… then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken and will act.” (Ezekiel 37:13-14)
When can you say, “God no longer cares for me?” At what point can you say, “My sins are too much, and I don’t deserve God’s love anymore?” At what point can you say, “There is no need to make efforts to be a good person?” . . .
No matter how bad things may have been, no matter how great your sins may have been, it is never too late for God. This is the message of today’s first reading from the book of Ezekiel. Your bones may have been dead completely. You may have lost all hope. You may have given up on every attempt to repent of certain things you know God is not pleased with, but the truth, my dear friend, is that God still cares! His love is everlasting!
Lazarus died for four days, but when Jesus showed up, he proved that for God, there is nothing like “too late.” Ezekiel’s prophecy of the dry bones shows us that it is not possible for there to be dead cases as far as our lives are concerned. We can always change; there is always room for repentance. We can never be too old to start learning again. Why is it that it can never be too late for God? His steadfast love never ceases; His mercies endure forever. God’s mercies are new every morning. As we often sing: “Great is thy faithfulness, O Lord. Great is thy faithfulness.”
God has written his laws in our hearts; whether or not we are Christians, we know right from wrong. In today’s Gospel passage, Jesus is asked about the greatest commandment, and he responds by mentioning the love of God and the love of neighbour. As long as we strive to love God with all our hearts, minds, and strengths, we will keep our part of the bargain, and by loving our neighbour as ourselves, we will make the world a better place. Where there is love, there is God, and when your actions are propelled purely by love for God and your neighbour, you cannot possibly sin.
God has given us his commandments, and our ability to keep them depends on how much we love and respect him. St. Augustine once said: O God, you have made us for yourself; our hearts are restless until they rest in you. You may have been looking for happiness, but there is a quicker way now. Reciprocate the love that God has shown to you. Begin today to live right and do right. Forget the past and repent.
Today, we remember Pope Pius X. He was born in the village of Riese, near Venice, and was one of ten children of a very poor family. He was ordained to the priesthood at the age of 23. He was successively bishop of Mantua and Venice and, against his wishes, was elected Pope in 1903. As Pope, he sought to “restore all things in Christ.” He campaigned for the Church’s freedom from state control, and he barred the clergy from the temporal administration of social organisations. He lived in great poverty even as Pope and preached sermons every Sunday in the courtyards of the Vatican to anyone who would listen. He performed miracles even while alive, and the clamour for his canonisation began immediately after his death, on 20 August 1914.
Let us pray: O God, who, to safeguard the Catholic faith and to restore all things in Christ, filled Pope Saint Pius the Tenth with heavenly wisdom and apostolic fortitude, graciously grant that, following his teaching and example, we may gain an eternal prize. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen
Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. May God’s abundant blessings be upon us all. (Saint Pius X, Pope. Liturgical Colour: White. Bible Study: Ezekiel 37:1-14, Ps. 107:2-9, Matthew 22:34-40)
@Rev. Fr. Evaristus E. Abu