Thursday of the Tenth Week in Ordinary Time
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.”
We are a sacramental people. We can say the same thing if we say that we are a mystical people.
This means that holiness does not flow out of moral effort; moral effort flows from it. I am not saying that moral effort is not involved. But any effort on our part flows out of union with the Holy Christ! We are united to the Holy Christ in the sacraments: They make present His victories for our lives. And this union is “mystical” because in the sacraments, in the Sacred Scriptures and in our lives, we meet the Risen Christ. Our faith tells us that it is by His graces that we live and change.
Do I believe this? Do I cultivate this belief? Do I want to cultivate this belief? Assuming the answer to these questions is yes, I offer one suggestion: Attend to the grace of the moment. Look for the graces Christ offers you in each event of your life, even our emotional reactions and events. We do not live in a stream of accidents; we live in the merciful Providence of God. There are no accidents! Attend to the grace of the moment. Watch for the graces Christ gives you in each event of your life. Christ wishes to bring us to the holiness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections