Romans 3:24-25
They are justified freely by his grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as an expiation, through faith, by his blood, to prove his righteousness because of the forgiveness of sins previously committed
In today's first reading, we hear St. Paul compare the reality of being justified by the obedience of religious laws to being redeemed by Christ's complete sacrifice of his precious Blood for us. Through the outpouring of Blood from the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are not only redeemed, but given new life to the full. How blessed we are to encounter Christ in his Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity, that is the Eucharist. Yet, St. Paul is also careful to mention that this encounter with Christ requires a response from us: FAITH. Even in our most difficult times, we encounter the Eucharistic Lord in faith that our hearts will be more closely configured to His Sacred Heart.
Receiving the Lord in the Eucharist and spending time with Him before the Blessed Sacrament are beautiful and necessary ways to increase our faith. As we spend time in prayer or Adoration, we notice the surrounding things and distractions that we perhaps place our faith in from time to time start to fade away. All that remains is the Lord, who loves us and desires to dwell intimately in our hearts. What will our answer to His invitation be today?
Get to know our seminarians! Today's reflection was written by:
Christian Galvan, Theology II
Home Parish: St. Stephen
Did you know...
I love to cook! I learned from my family and by volunteering at a cooking school in Brandon. My favorite cuisines are Mexican and Italian!
Pray with us for the men and women discerning the priesthood and religious life. To pray for our seminarians by name or to find out more about the Diocese of St. Petersburg vocations office, click here.
