Reflection:
Ready to examine your conscience?
If ever daily Gospel readings plead with us to examine our conscience, today’s letter from St. Paul to the Romans did plead.
Haven’t we realized that God’s eternal power and divinity, which exceed the understanding of even our most brilliant scientists, remain invisible yet are so great that we ought to be humbly grateful instead of persistently skeptical?
In our pride, have we declared ourselves so wise that we fail to see our own foolishness? For example, by acting like our human heroes with their flags of birds, bears, and snakes somehow provide us with more meaning than God, are we only revealing our folly.
Are we seeking comfort and power that lead us to degrade our bodies and lie continually to defend our “rights” to comfort and power over others? Are we putting comfort and power above the importance of enriching ourselves with God’s laws? Don’t we recognize His role in every molecule of the universe, and express our gratitude to Him through prayer and service to others? Can’t we see the joy in getting to play even a small but soul-enriching role in building God’s kingdom?
