29TH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

Present yourselves to God as raised from the dead to life.

Perhaps home improvement shows are so popular today because everyone enjoys seeing a master craftsman transform an old house. And he doesn’t just restore it to its former glory; he takes it to the next level. The final product is the fruit of his vision and work.

Jesus is our Master Craftsman. He has transformed us by giving us a new life through Baptism. That’s why, as St. Paul tells us in today’s first reading, we need to present ourselves to God “as raised from the dead to life” (Romans 6:13). That means we’ve already been “renovated,” already created anew! As Paul reminds us, sin doesn’t have to have any power over us now because we have access to God’s grace (6:14). We can now live according to the blueprint that he has designed for us.

What is this blueprint? It’s Jesus himself. It’s his life in us that enables us to say no to temptation and sin and that gives us the freedom to love, to forgive, and to serve generously. And it is his example that is the “pattern of teaching” that St. Paul says we have been entrusted with (Romans 6:17).

The more we pattern ourselves after Jesus, the more we become like him. And the good news is that we don’t have to do this work alone! Jesus, the Master Craftsman, still lives in our “house” and is still at work renovating our hearts and minds. His grace flows freely, so we can be confident that he will build on, strengthen, and expand any effort we make to live our new life. This is the joint venture of a lifetime, but what a privilege it is to work beside the Master Craftsman and learn from him!

We tend to see the “disrepair” in our lives, especially when we stray from the Lord. What we don’t often see is the transformation that God has already done in us through Christ—as well as the work he is still doing. Today in prayer, present yourself to God as the new creation you are. Then praise him for giving you access to all the grace you need to live this new life in him.

“Lord Jesus, I present myself to you today, free to live as your new creation!”

Romans 6:12-18
Psalm 124:1-8
Luke 12:39-48