SAINT BRIDGET, RELIGIOUS (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Reform your ways and your deeds. 

Picture someone crying out, “Repent!” at the door of the local Catholic church. “It isn’t Lent,” you might think. “Who is this stranger to tell me to change my life?”

The Jews in Jerusalem probably felt equally disturbed when the prophet Jeremiah stood in front of the Temple and told them to repent. They probably felt even more disturbed when they heard Jeremiah predict that if they didn’t change, God’s presence would depart and leave them exposed to destruction and invasion.

Jeremiah’s message was twofold: “Reform your deeds” and “Reform your ways.”

Yes, our behavior—our deeds—matters. What we do, how we speak to our family, and whether we love our neighbor—all these things draw us closer or divide us, both from one another and from God.

But if we were to examine our behavior, we would begin to see our ways as well. We would learn what was going on inside our hearts. God wants to address this “heart level” just as much as he wants to address our behavior. We may try to stop doing the wrong things, but unless we change our hearts, true change will remain elusive.

That’s where repentance and the Sacrament of Reconciliation come in. When you examine your conscience, God asks you to examine your actions and your motivations and desires. You might see that your motivation is good but that your “action” was not a good reflection of what you intended. Or you might realize that your motivation isn’t as pure as you thought. Either way, as you confess, God’s grace is there to heal you and change you. Instead of leaving you, he’ll come into your heart even more deeply!

So turn to the Lord. Ask him to help you examine your heart. He knows which motives need to be renewed, and he is ready to help you make that happen.

Remember, repentance and reform take time. God is infinitely patient. If you work with him, both your deeds and your ways will change!

“Thank you, Lord, for your patience and your love for me!”

Jeremiah 7:1-11
Psalm 84:3-6, 8, 11
Matthew 13:24-30