One who does the will of God, lives for ever

WORD 2day: December 30, 2019

1 John 2: 12-17; Luke 2: 36-40

The feast of the Holy Family is just over, but the theme lingers on in today's liturgy - the first reading addressed to various categories of persons in the family, the psalm inviting the families to offer themselves to the Lord and the Gospel referring to the holy family at the temple, to offer the first born to the Lord! The cue to the message is prophetess Anna and the last verse of the first reading which says, "one who does the will of God, lives for ever" (1 Jn 2:17). 

What does a family do to you? It helps you grow, grow physically, emotionally, relationally, in short, into whole human persons! 

In the family, we are all called to 'grow and become strong', and to be filled with wisdom...wisdom which tells us what is God's will for us; what is acceptable and what is not, in the eyes of the Lord! What is that which helps us stay with God's will and what is that which takes us away from it.

There is yet another growth that has to be underlined: our growth in faith. Faith is not acquired once for all; every day we grow, we grow to the full into persons that God wants us to be. We have no excuse, because God's favour is upon us all as chosen children of God; if I do not grow and become strong in faith, it is me who is to be blamed, is it not? 

The key to all these is perceiving, knowing and following God's will, which is simply deciding and desiring to do what would please God and God alone. That difficulties would crop when we do so, yes, it is true. But the one who does the will of God, shall live for ever!