To enter Heaven, we must wear the right clothes. We must have put on the Lord Jesus Christ and been clothed with holiness by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rm 13:14; Ps 132:9). "Because you are God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with heartfelt mercy, with kindness, humility, meekness, and patience" (Col 3:12). "In your relations with one another, clothe yourselves with humility, because God 'is stern with the arrogant but to the humble He shows kindness' " (1 Pt 5:5). "Over all these virtues put on love" (Col 3:14). "You must put on that new man created in God's image, whose justice and holiness are born of truth" (Eph 4:24).
None of us can afford these heavenly clothes. Jesus paid for all our clothes. As He was stripped of His garments and hung naked on the cross, Jesus paid the price for our garments of righteousness. Just as animals die to provide leather and fur for clothing, so Jesus died to clothe us and cover our nakedness. "We yearn to have our heavenly habitation envelop us. This it will, provided we are found clothed and not naked" (2 Cor 5:2-3). Jesus, thank You for Your nakedness, suffering, and death.
| PRAYER: | Father, turn me to Jesus and not to lust and sin. |
| PROMISE: | "I announced Your justice in the vast assembly; I did not restrain my lips, as You, O Lord, know." –Ps 40:10 |
| PRAISE: | St. Rose, once the beloved beauty of Peru, is now crowned with glory and clothed in splendor. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College