“If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
I wait for the Lord; my soul waits; and in his word I hope.”
Let us reflect on this Word of God in our lives. If God were to keep an account of all our sins, could we live as we do today? Could we hold our heads up and walk?
Every day, we commit sins.
Even though we know about God’s mercy, and even though we know that sin is not good for our souls and our eternal life, many times we still cannot stop sinning. Let us reflect on our weakness and frailty.
St. Paul says in his Letter to the Romans:
Romans 7:18–20
“For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot do it. I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.”
But God knows our weakness. He knows that we cannot overcome temptations and the weaknesses of the flesh by our own strength.
That is why God has given us everything. Through Baptism, He has placed His grace within us, and through the Holy Sacraments, He continues to pour His grace into us. In the Holy Eucharist, He gives us His Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. He has also given us the Holy Spirit to give us heavenly strength, so that we can live like Jesus and reach our eternal home.
Only by the grace of God can we overcome our weak flesh. For this to work in us, we must surrender ourselves completely to God. This is the only solution.
Where sin increases, grace works even more abundantly. By God’s grace and through the power of the Holy Spirit, we can overcome.
First, there must be a desire within us for this deliverance. We must desire to be freed from the bondage of sin, the flesh and the world.
Temptations are all around us, trying to trap us. Our enemy wants to separate us from the presence of God. He does not want us to reach the eternal life that God has prepared for us.
1 Peter 5:8–9
“Discipline yourselves, keep alert. Like a roaring lion your adversary the devil prowls around, looking for someone to devour. Resist him, steadfast in your faith.”
Even though he tries his very best, he cannot gain power over us without our consent. This is where the Holy Spirit helps us.
When temptation comes and wrong thoughts try to trap us, let us immediately surrender them to Jesus.
At that very moment, we can pray:
“Jesus, I am experiencing this temptation and this feeling right now. Please wash my thoughts, feelings, habits and bondages with Your precious Blood. Give me the grace to overcome this.”
When we immediately turn to Jesus through this prayer, let us trust and hope that Jesus will intervene in our lives.
So, let us try this from today. At first, we need to do it consciously and willingly; gradually, it will become part of our behaviour.
Just as Jesus turned to His Heavenly Father during His time of temptation and suffering, let us also turn to our Heavenly Father.
Luke 22:42–46
“Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me; yet, not my will but yours be done.”
Then an angel from heaven appeared to Jesus and strengthened Him. In His anguish, Jesus prayed more earnestly.
When He came to His disciples, He found them sleeping because of grief. Jesus said to them:
“Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you may not come into the time of trial.”
Matthew 26:41
“Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Romans 6:14
“For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.”
Therefore, Jesus is asking us to stop making excuses and to make use of the grace and strength He has given us.
Let us stop carrying our burdens by ourselves. Let us surrender them to Jesus. Let us lay down the yoke we are carrying ourselves and take the yoke of Jesus. Let us deny ourselves and follow Him.
Romans 8:12–14
“So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh—for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.”
If we continue to ignore God’s grace, let us remember that we are responsible for our souls.
1 Corinthians 3:16–17
“Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
Hebrews 10:26–27
“For if we willfully persist in sin after having received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries.”
Therefore, let us never ignore Jesus’ unconditional sacrifice, love and mercy for us.
Our enemy will try to deceive us and keep us away from God’s love and our eternal home. But let us take refuge in God’s love. Let us hide ourselves in His mercy. Let us depend upon His grace. Let us resist sin through the power of the Holy Spirit.Instead of becoming discouraged by our weaknesses, let us lift our eyes towards Jesus.When we fall, let us rise again.When temptation comes, let us pray immediately.Let us surrender our will and submit to God’s will.Let us surrender the yoke of our lives to Jesus.
Amen, amen.
Let us pray
Merciful Jesus,
I surrender my weaknesses and sins before You. Wash and cleanse my heart and my thoughts with Your precious Blood.Holy Spirit, fill me and give me the strength to overcome every temptation and sin. May Your will be done in my life, not my will. May Your grace become my strength in my weakness. Lead me in holiness and guide me towards eternal life.
Jesus, I trust in You.
Amen. 🙏
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