Reflection: Friday of the Twenty Ninth Week in the Ordinary Time.

First Reading: Romans 7:18–25

Psalms 119:66,68,76,77,93,94.

Gospel Reading: Luke: 12:54–59

Knowing the right thing is different from doing the right thing. Many of us know the right thing but they are actually drawn towards doing the wrong. This is exactly the situation in the first reading, where Paul describes our personal struggle with sin and in the gospel, Jesus describes the personal struggle with conversion.

Haven’t you seen a doctor who professionally knows that smoking is dangerous to health and he yet smokes? Now you understand why Jesus says “Hypocrites! You know how to interpret the face of the earth and the sky. How is it you do not know how to interpret these times?” Haven’t you seen God’s ministers and people who teach and/or have stepped into spirituality, who know that fornication/adultery is dangerous to holiness of life, yet runs to it and even defends it? Haven’t you seen young men selling their souls to the devil while keeping their loved ones away from it? Now you understand why Paul says that “instead of doing the good things I want to do, I carry out the sinful things I do not want.”

One thing that we must understand is that human nature is weak and, irrespective of how intelligence is bestowed upon it, we use the intelligence to defend our weaknesses instead of moving for perfection.

The point is that, on our own alone, we can’t do it  but with do it with Christ who strengthens us by his grace of his passion and crucifixion. Then he must have taught us  and we can say “thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

©Fr. Henry Charles Umelechi