Wednesday of Week 23 Year 1

What does it mean to be a Christian? Being a Christian means our lives should have been totally transformed from our old ways and put on the ways of Christ. It means we are making much effort to love God and neighbour, not just with words, but also through our actions. It means that we are doing our utmost best in living a virtuous life, free from pride, prejudice, ego, malicious intentions, and a willingness to love, be humble, be docile, forgive and reconcile. All these sounds nice and good, but are we really living a Christian life, or are we only Christians in name, but living worldly lives and doing worldly things like everyone else?

In today's reading, St. Paul reminds us: "Since you have been brought back to true life with Christ, you must look for the things that are in heaven, where Christ is, sitting at God’s right hand... That is why you must kill everything in you that belongs only to earthly life: fornication, impurity, guilty passion, evil desires and especially greed, which is the same thing as worshipping a false god; all this is the sort of behaviour that makes God angry. And it is the way in which you used to live when you were surrounded by people doing the same thing, but now you, of all people, must give all these things up: getting angry, being bad-tempered, spitefulness, abusive language and dirty talk; and never tell each other lies. You have stripped off your old behaviour with your old self, and you have put on a new self which will progress towards true knowledge the more it is renewed in the image of its creator..."

Some may say that it seems impossible to live a true Christian life, but we must not forget that to God, nothing is impossible. Yes, we will stumble and fall along the way, but we should get up and strive on, making steady progress in becoming more and more like Christ, while depending on His Grace and providence. Let us be reminded: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. (Hebrews 12:1-3)."