And do not grieve the holy Spirit of God, with which you were sealed for the day of redemption.
All bitterness, fury, anger, shouting, and reviling must be removed from you, along with all malice.
[And] be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ. (Ephesians 4:30-32 NABRE)
We are baptized. We allow God's Holy Spirit to work with us. We work with the Holy Spirit to change our minds, hearts, and behavior.
In today's passage, Saint Paul lists specific changes we need to make in order to better reflect the forgiveness God gives to us. Let's pause over each one and consider how we can improve our own hearts and actions today.
Lord God, thank you for your Spirit. Open me to work with him so that I may better show your forgiving heart to all those in my life. Thank you for sealing me for the day of redemption by my baptism, and keep me always mindful of the great gift my baptism truly is. Lord, help me to recognize today each time I am bitter, furious, angry, or filled with malice. Stop me in the moment--not afterward--and replace these feelings with compassion. Lord, help me to avoid shouting and reviling. Stop me in the moment--not afterward--and replace these actions with kindness and forgiveness. I ask that you lead me to integrity, so my heart, mind, and actions are aligned with your perfect will.
Today, I will allow God's Spirit to work in me.
Edith Stein (Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross), martyred in a gas chamber at Auschwitz, pray for us.
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