In this reflection for the 7th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Kristen shares the story of how St. Thérèse of Lisieux learned that the way to holiness is through God’s strength and not our own.
We can grow discouraged, like St. Thérèse was initially: “I can’t be perfect, so maybe I’ll just quit trying.” Or we can be like a lot of other people who think “I’ll just, I’ll just behave perfect. I’ll pretend I’m perfect. I will fake it till I make it, and then suddenly maybe I’ll be perfect.”
But, again, that’s not right either. We will never be holy or perfect by our own power. Yes, it involves our cooperation, but we can’t do it on our own. We need to be like Thérèse. We need to be little. We need to sit at the bottom of the steps and cry and lift our hands and say, “Lord, you do it for me. Please come be the powerful one to allow me to be holy, imperfect, to be the one at work. I can’t do it by myself. I can’t be or perfect by myself, but you can do it within me if I cooperate. And so I welcome you.”
SHOW LINKS
Readings for the Seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time, 2023
Lent starts February 22! And we want to help your family make the most of it! That’s why we’re kicking off a 5-Day Challenge to help parents create a family culture that leads to faith. In addition to video and written content for parents, your family will also get a new video to watch together each day of the challenge. Short and accessible, these will help each of you to think, pray, and talk more about Jesus and His Church… together. And the best part is, it’s free.
Join today by visiting www.ablazefamily.org/hub.
Also on Numinous FM: Listen to Season 3 of Redeemer on the Eucharist!