Thursday of the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time
“I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.”
The righteousness that our loving Jesus calls us to is an intimate communion with Him. He is the Righteous One, the Holy One who has won our salvation. We connect with him especially in the sacramental life. It can also be called the mystical life. (Mystical means “hidden.”)
This means that holiness does not flow out of our moral efforts, as necessary as these are. Rather it flows from our union with the Holy Christ. Our effort is to become more in communion with Him. We do this primarily in the sacraments, which are Christ’s acts of salvation in and for His Body, the Church. The sacraments make present His victories for our lives. And if we participate in these saving actions with faith, we draw closer to the Lord of glory, who is beckoning us to follow Him to resurrected glory.
So, do I believe this? Do I make acts of faith? Do I want to believe? Assuming the answer to these questions is yes, I offer a suggestion: Attend to the grace of the moment. Look for the grace Christ offers us in each event of our lives. By saying yes to his passion and death, Jesus gave us the way to say yes to our lives as presided over by the Father, who is inviting us to follow his Son to glory by way of our concrete, specific lives. 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 in each event of life.
Christ wishes to bring us to the holiness that surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees.
His wonderful life and graces are hidden all around our lives. Let us be attentive.
Reflection by Fr. Xavier Nacke, OSB
Posted in Articles for Lent, Daily Reflections, Lenten Resources