The Power of God’s Grace.

Homily for October 27, 2017.

“For I delight in the law of God, in my inmost self, but I see in my members another law at war with the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin which dwells in my members. Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” Romans 7:22-25.

By talking about the flesh as weak, useless and captive, by describing the flesh as serving a law of sin, St. Paul wants us to take attention away from the flesh as much as possible!

What St. Paul does here is to paint a picture of a ferocious beast so that we would be able to identify an Angel when we see one. The flesh here is the beast and grace is the Angel. We have no reason to trust our flesh. We can never win the war against sin through our flesh.

To win the war against sin, we don’t have to fight against the flesh as though we can ever conquer it, all we have to do is to keep running again and again to the feet of Jesus to ask for GRACE.

Every temptation should make me drop to my knees to ask for help. We cannot get enough of it. Grace is like the air that we breathe. A few minutes without air can suffocate us to death. So also, a few minutes without constant prayer – asking for God’s assistance, can land us in trouble.

It is just wisdom on our part to use prayer as a wedge against sinfulness. We don’t have to wait till we have fallen into sin before we remember that we ought to have asked for grace beforehand.

This is similar to what Jesus was talking about in the Gospel passage, “as you go with your accuser before the magistrate, MAKE AN EFFORT TO SETTLE WITH HIM ON THE WAY, lest he drag you to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer put you in prison.” Luke 12, 57 to 58.

Make an effort to avoid falling into sin by being prayerful. This is wisdom itself speaking.

Let us Pray: Lord Jesus, give me the wisdom to always ask for your grace in moments of temptation. Amen.

*Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you. God bless you. (Friday of the 29^th Week in Ordinary Time. Bible Study:  Romans 7:16-25 and Luke 12:54-59).