Daily reflection _ get on the right track

GET ON THE RIGHT TRACK
Ordinary people like ourselves become holy (saints in the making) not by their own efforts but by being open to God's will.
Deacon John Ruscheinsky
How good are we at reading signs? Jesus expects His disciples to read the signs of the times accurately! While modern technology give us greater accuracy for pinpointing troublesome tempests and quakes, our ability for discerning spiritual trouble and averting spiritual disaster seems to be in need of desperate repair or at least improvement. Jesus used a vivid illustration to point out the urgency of getting on the right path with God. And we cannot do this on our own. Each of us stands in constant need of God's mercy and love.
Today in the first reading it is consoling for me to always remember that the great saints like John of Capistrano, priest and St. Paul, and all those we honored throughout this month, were human like us. They needed help from God to get life on the right track especially in their spiritual life. They had struggles, they became discouraged and confused and ultimately had to depend completely on God's will.
Paul was discouraged by apparent lack of progress. Above all he became confused. How could it be, he wondered, when all he wanted to do was good and yet it seemed that he did the things he didn't want to do, the bad things. I suspect that the same happens to all of us from time to time. We might ask the question: Why is it that we seem to make such little progress?
St. Paul cries out, "Who can free me from this body under the power of death?" His answer is only implicit at the conclusion of our reading wherein he says, "All praise to God, through Jesus Christ Our Lord." From later parts of the epistle it becomes clear that he turns in praise to God because he knows that only God can help by the power of His Holy Spirit.
The Responsorial Psalm we acclaim: Lord teach me your statutes. Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. Ordinary people like ourselves become holy (saints in the making) not by their own efforts but by being open to God's will.
Points to Pray and Ponder: Embrace the challenges you face, see them as opportunities rather than obstacles. See if you can leave things a bit better than you found them. God's call is urgent and His grace is available for complete transformation in Jesus.