Thursday in the Thirtieth Week of Ordinary Time

“Draw your strength from the Lord and his mighty power” (Eph. 6:10). It is important to remember that the Lord is our shepherd; and that we are His people, the sheep of His flock. If we wander from Him, we are lost. Through the mystery of the incarnation, the Eternal Word engaged himself in our history, all the way. In response to his loving, self-sacrifice, we must immerse ourselves in him, all the way. He bound himself to us so that we might be grafted to him. He calls us out of the darkness and invites us to walk in the Light of Life. The challenge is to drop the past and keep our eyes fixed on the Lord, wherever he may lead us. “I press toward the finish line to claim the prize of God’s high calling in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:14).

We can’t waste time looking back if we want to win the prize. Our goal is our heavenly homeland close to the heart of God, who is our refuge and strength. Because He is with us, we can strain ahead, with the assurance that victory will be ours in Him. The world is fragmented and the human family members are alienated from one another.  Jesus descended into the realms of the dead and broke the chains of sin and death that keep us apart. The world as we know it is passing away and the Kingdom of the Father is being established in our midst. The Master Builder has laid the cornerstone and is setting us, the living stones, in place. We stand strong because we have been fitted together on the foundation of Christ who is our companion, our rock, and strong defender. To him be glory and honor both now and forever. Amen.