Continued👆🏽
The Message for Us Today
As we reflect on the significance of the third week of the Great Fast, we must ask ourselves: Do we, like the Jews of old, hear the Word of Christ but refuse to believe? Do we cling to the outward forms of religion while neglecting the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faith?
The Apostle James warns us:
"My brothers, if someone says he has faith but has no deeds, what does it profit him?" (James 5:14)
Faith is not a mere confession of the lips; it must bear fruit in righteous deeds. True fasting is not only abstaining from food but also from sin, from hatred, from pride. True worship is not merely gathering in the synagogue or the church but offering our hearts as a living sacrifice to God.
Even as Cornelius, the Roman centurion, was accepted by God because of his prayers and almsgiving (Acts 10:1-8), so too must we live lives of holiness, charity, and devotion.
Conclusion: The Zeal for God's House
The psalmist declares:
"For zeal for Your house has eaten me up, and the reproach of those who insult You has fallen on me." (Psalm 68:9)
Christ Himself embodied this zeal, purifying the temple and restoring true worship. As we continue our Lenten journey, let us ask ourselves: Do we have this same zeal? Do we long for the presence of God with the same fervor?
May the name of the Holy God be praised forever and ever in every tongue that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of God's mother, the virgin, and the cross be upon us.
Amen.
© John's Repentance
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