Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society.--Saint Francis of Assisi

God’s invitation to become saints is for all, not just a few. Sanctity therefore must be accessible to all. In what does it consist? In a lot of activity? No. In doing extraordinary things? No, this could not be for everybody and at all times. Therefore, sanctity consists in doing good, and in doing this good in whatever condition and place God has placed us. Nothing more, nothing outside of this.--Blessed Louis Tezza

(1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17);
Brothers and sisters:
You are God's building.
According to the grace of God given to me,
like a wise master builder I laid a foundation,
and another is building upon it.
But each one must be careful how he builds upon it,
for no one can lay a foundation other than the one that is there,
namely, Jesus Christ.

Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
If anyone destroys God's temple,
God will destroy that person;
for the temple of God, which you are, is holy.

On a daily basis I don’t think about myself being the temple of God. It’s easy to associate God’s dwelling place as the church, but in fact, every single Christian is a temple of God. The Bible says that the temple of God is holy. If we are the temples and we are holy, why do we mindlessly do so many things to dishonor and displease God? The answer is simple. We are humans and we are naturally prone to mistakes and sin. God was gracious enough to send Jesus to save us from those sins. We can’t have the mindset that we can do whatever we want today because we will be forgiven tomorrow. Because we are the place where God dwells, we need to live a life that is pleasing and honoring to him.

God is with us always no matter what. Imagine yourself handcuffed to Jesus. He is with you and he’s not going anywhere. Now wouldn’t you be a little more cautious if you could see him standing next to you watching your every move every day? The fact of the matter is that it shouldn’t take an extreme like that to make us want to do things that are pleasing to God. As Christians it shouldn’t be a burden to do things, say things, or even think things that honor him. It should be our desire to honor God in all things.

Everyone struggles with this. When I’m struggling to make the right decisions or do the right thing, I ask myself what I would do if Jesus were standing right next to me. Next time we are struggling let us ask ourselves: Would I use that kind of language around Jesus? What if Jesus could hear what I’m thinking?' Whether we ask these questions or not, as Christians God resides within us and is with us every step of the way. Let us honor him not just by our words but by our life.

1 comment:

  1. Can you help me find the source for this quote from St. Francis?

    "Sanctify yourself and you will sanctify society."

    I can find the quote all over the internet, but can't find the source where this quote is from!

    Thank you!

    ReplyDelete