The wind and sea obey Jesus. Demons and diseases obey Jesus (see Mk 5:13, 29). Even death obeys Jesus (Mk 5:41ff). Every knee must bend and acknowledge Jesus as Lord (Phil 2:10-11), and a number of knees have already bent – but many human beings have not yet bent their knees to Jesus.
We all realize that many people do not obey Jesus. Before we call these people to repentance, however, we must repent ourselves (Mt 7:5). Yet due to the blinding effect of sin, we may not know that we need to repent. We need the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins (Jn 16:8). We need a prophet like Nathan to look each of us in the eyes and say: "You are the man!" (2 Sm 12:7)
Do you want to be holy and pleasing to the Lord? If so, you will also want to be convicted of your sins. You will want to repent and celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Then you will join most of creation and bend your knee in obedience to Jesus.
| PRAYER: | Father, convict me of my sins now. |
| PROMISE: | Jesus "awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea: 'Quiet! Be still!' The wind fell off and everything grew calm." –Mk 4:39 |
| PRAISE: | St. Thomas put his great intellectual gifts at the service of the Lord and His Church. |
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