His Righteousness

Mark 13:37

“What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!”‘

Dear friend,

I hope and pray you had a lovely Thanksgiving Day. My Thanksgiving was very different from Thanksgivings in the past – only a small group of family members and for a short duration. Perhaps your Thanksgiving was very different too.

So many changes have taken place since the COVID pandemic began and until proper vigilance and the vaccine help to control the spread of the virus we will see other changes. What will never change is Jesus’ words of advise to His disciples and to us, “Be watchful! Be alert!” When we are attentive believers in God’s righteousness over our lives then and only then are we truly vigilant that, on that last day, we will live for all eternity with God, no more viruses, no more pain, no more sadness, only eternal bliss with God our Father.

This past Sunday, November 29th, was the first Sunday of Advent a time in the church for preparation for the coming of Jesus’ birth. When preparing a big event, like Christmas, we spend our days planning to be sure that everything is perfect. Well, Advent is a time for us to make all things perfect in our lives, physically and spiritually, for Jesus.

Jesus is the reason for the season – it’s not about the decorations, the food, the gifts but about preparing our hearts and minds to receive Him into our hearts and we want our hearts in perfect order, free from sin.

When I was a little girl preparing for the Sacrament of Reconciliation I envisioned that if my heart and soul were not pure and free from sin that Jesus, in the form of the Eucharist, would enter there and that it would be filled with cobwebs and dust so I was very contrite in my confession and my Act of Contrition to best prepare the way for Jesus to enter in.

Dear friend, I urge you to reflect on your life, to ask God’s forgiveness and the courage to stand firm against temptation and sin. What a glorious day it will be for all of us to celebrate with Jesus in Heaven – all because we were watchful, alert and in His righteousness.

Whitaker House, the publishing house for Two Kinds of Righteousness written by E. W. Kenyon, explain in the introduction of the book that ‘Two Kinds of Righteousness stands out as one of Kenyon’s greatest works. Here, he urges the believer to fully embrace the two ways in which God makes His righteousness available to mankind: one divinely imparted to us sinners from the outside and the other cultivated within the heart of the believer and lived out into the world.’ Kenyon, E. W., Two Kinds of Righteousness 1942 New Kensington, PA 15068 Whitaker House, p. 7

God loves us so much that He sent His Son down on this fallen world to redeem us and grace us with righteousness that we might live with Him for all eternity – the most amazing gift you will ever receive – we only need to be watchful, alert and earnest in our desire to accept God’s righteousness and to truly love our Lord Jesus Christ with all our hearts and souls.

Additional Bible Reading for the week:

Tobit 12: 8-10 ‘Prayer and fasting are good, but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness. It is better to give alms than to store up gold; for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin. Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life; but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.’

Our prayer for the week:

Dear Father, help us to exalt you above all things to be always watchful and alert especially of our actions that they may always be pleasing to you. You lovingly bestowed on us the most wonderful gift anyone could ever receive, your Son Jesus Christ, born in the most humbling surroundings to the most loving and caring parents, Mary and Joseph. Help us to be forever worthy of this awesome gift for before Jesus came to live among us we were unworthy but through your mercy ‘For our sake he (you) made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.’ (2 Corinthians 5:21). We humbly ask this in the name of your Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen

Until the next time, may God bless you and yours and keep you all safe.

BIG HUGS, continued thoughts, prayers and many blessings go with you!

Love in Christ Jesus,

Marie