CHANGING OUR ALIENATION

“I hid myself.” —Genesis 3:10

The seeds of the alienation and separation of man are evident in today’s first reading: alienation from God, alienation between man and woman. “The man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God” (Gn 3:8).

Man tries to find his own remedy for his fall from grace instead of going to the remedy God has offered, His Son Jesus Christ. However, we cannot reconcile ourselves to God through our own efforts; it is the Lord Who initiates the reconciling. Our part is to “let it be done to” us (Lk 1:38). “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ. It is He Who is our peace, and Who made the two of us one by breaking down the barrier of hostility that kept us apart” (Eph 2:13-14).

We are “strangers and aliens no longer” (Eph 2:19). God has sent His only begotten Son to reconcile sinful humanity to Himself (Jn 3:16). Will you accept the solution God has offered to remedy the miserable effects of sin in this world? Risen life in Jesus is far superior to even God’s original, beautiful plan for human life in the garden of Eden. Yet many respond, “We will not have this Man rule over us” (Lk 19:14).

When we give our lives to Jesus, we change from being alienated from God to being alienated from the world (Heb 11:13-14). Surrender your life to Jesus. Change your alienation.

Prayer: Father, grant me the grace to be so committed to Your Son Jesus that I may never depart from Him.

Promise: “The people in the crowd ate until they had their fill.” —Mk 8:8

Praise: Glenda had a special devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes. She rejoiced when her confessor assigned her to pray to her patroness.