Motives of our hearts

Sisters and brothers in Christ, this verse from today's first reading struck me: ". . .he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our hearts. . ." We have a hard time facing our true selves sometimes - bad habits, things that we have done that are shameful, and so on. Yet, God desires to go into those areas that are "hidden in darkness" and "bring to light" the motives of our hearts" so as to purify them so that all that we do are authentic and bring God glory.

Jesus desires to give us "fresh wineskin" so that His grace can fill our hearts without being tainted and hidden by things from our past - the "old wineskins". How can we overcome the fear of allowing God to enter into the hidden areas of our hearts? Here is a beautiful prayer to help us. It is the "Jesus Prayer":

Lord Jesus Christ,
Son of God,
Have mercy on me,
A sinful one. Amen.

In one of the episodes of "The Bible in a Year", Fr. Mike Schmitz reflected on "good" shame and "bad" shame. "Bad" shame causes us to turn inward on ourselves, which leads us into even darker recesses of our hearts that is hidden from God's love and mercy. "Good" shame helps us to recognize our failings and it convicts us to strive to do better, strive for holiness, all by turning to God begging Him for an outpouring of grace to help us. God desires to shine his light in us, let us not get in the way of His light.

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Gospel of the Day

The scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,

“The disciples of John the Baptist fast often and offer prayers,

and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same;

but yours eat and drink.”

Jesus answered them, “Can you make the wedding guests fast

while the bridegroom is with them?

But the days will come, and when the bridegroom is taken away from them,

then they will fast in those days.”

And he also told them a parable.

“No one tears a piece from a new cloak to patch an old one.

Otherwise, he will tear the new

and the piece from it will not match the old cloak.

Likewise, no one pours new wine into old wineskins.

Otherwise, the new wine will burst the skins,

and it will be spilled, and the skins will be ruined.

Rather, new wine must be poured into fresh wineskins.

And no one who has been drinking old wine desires new,

for he says, ‘The old is good.’”