Being in Christ Jesus!

In the first line of today's first reading, Romans 8: 1-11,  St. Paul reminds us that "there is no condemnation for  those who are in Christ Jesus."  Let us rewrite that to read:  "Dorothy Ann (insert your name), there is no condemnation for you because, in baptism, you died with Jesus and were raised to new life in Him"  Why such a gift? Because in His assuming of human nature and in His
death and resurrection from the dead, Jesus put sin to death in us and in the world.  Does that mean that you and I do not succumb to sin by being deceived by Satan? No! Like Peter, who sank when he took his eyes off Jesus, we, too, are likely to succumb to sin when we take our eyes off Jesus.  The power of choosing the good over evil, truth over deceit, kindness and love over hatred and jealousy, compassion and mercy over judgment and condemnation come from God's dwelling within us!

By our becoming a member of the Kingdom of Jesus in our baptisms, by being born anew in baptism, we now are empowered to "live according to the spirit"  and to be concerned each day with the things of the spirit: love and justice, peace and harmony with God's holy will and with what is right and just and caring in our relationship with others and ourselves.  As St. Paul says to us:  the concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace. For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it; and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But," Paul reminds us, " you are in the spirit..."

Thank you, Lord, for being born in the spirit through our baptisms, confirmation, Eucharist, all of the sacraments  and by the love we receive and give to others, by living lives of integrity, honesty
 and fidelity to the ways Jesus taught us and the Scripture embody!