For God

The WORD today reminds me that I should decide if I am for God or not. 

In the third Star Wars movie, when Anakin was fighting his Master Obi-Wan, his master knew that he turned to the dark side and said that only the sith deal with absolutes. This was because Anakin told him that Obi-Wan is either for him or against him. Although God is obviously not on the dark side, this is what he is asking from us. 

You are either for God or against him. 

Choosing God is absolute. You are either for him or against him. There is no middle ground. Jesus says in the gospel that we are either for or against God. We cannot be in the middle – choosing which commandments and laws to obey. We cannot choose what doctrines we are comfortable with and believe in just those. We cannot choose what commandments we want to obey and just do those. It’s all or nothing – for God or against Got.

Are there commandments I do not follow? Do I choose what I believe in? Do I just do and obey what is comfortable to me? What is God telling me today?

May we choose to follow God all the time. 

Father God,

Thank you for today. Thank you for another day to live. Thank you for another reminder. Lord, I am sorry for the times I ignore this. Sorry for the times I only choose what I believe in, what I want, what is comfortable and acceptable to me. Create in me a pure and clean heart, that I may wholeheartedly follow you as I live my life. Amen.

Blessed Day!

In Christ,

-g-

Daily Readings

• FEBRUARY 22, 2022
• February 23, 2022
• FEBRUARY 24, 2022

• Readings for the Memorial of Saint Polycarp, bishop and martyr

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Memorial of Saint Polycarp, Bishop and Martyr

Lectionary: 343

Reading I

Jas 4:13-17

Beloved:
Come now, you who say,
“Today or tomorrow we shall go into such and such a town,
spend a year there doing business, and make a profit”–
you have no idea what your life will be like tomorrow.
You are a puff of smoke that appears briefly and then disappears.
Instead you should say,
“If the Lord wills it, we shall live to do this or that.”
But now you are boasting in your arrogance.
All such boasting is evil.
So for one who knows the right thing to do
and does not do it, it is a sin.

Responsorial Psalm

49:2-3, 6-7, 8-10, 11

R.        (Matthew 5:3)  Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Hear this, all you peoples;
            hearken, all who dwell in the world,
Of lowly birth or high degree,
            rich and poor alike.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Why should I fear in evil days
            when my wicked ensnarers ring me round?
They trust in their wealth;
            the abundance of their riches is their boast.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
Yet in no way can a man redeem himself,
            or pay his own ransom to God;
Too high is the price to redeem one’s life; he would never have enough
            to remain alive always and not see destruction.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!
For he can see that wise men die,
            and likewise the senseless and the stupid pass away,
            leaving to others their wealth.
R.        Blessed are the poor in spirit; the Kingdom of heaven is theirs!

Alleluia

Jn 14:6

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
I am the way and the truth and the life, says the Lord;
no one comes to the Father except through me.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mk 9:38-40

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”