I was thinking about Romans Chapter 12 verses one and two, and in verse two it talks about be transformed by the renewal of our minds; that you may do the will of God and know what is good and pleasing and perfect. What does it mean to be transformed by the renewal of our minds. Verse one, talks about our spiritual worship, what we offer to Christ in praise, that he’s the center and not us. It’s so easy in our own minds to just make ourselves the center of the world. That everybody revolves around my idea, what is my schedule, in my time. I know that's true for me and I must fight against that. But being transformed by the renewal of our minds means thinking more and more about how Christ would see this. How would He respond to it, what is He calling me to do in it, and no longer doing my own will or what somebody else says, just because they said it, but what is true, what is the will of God here. I think that's a prayer that we want to pray; especially in our culture where it doesn't necessarily revolve around God, it does revolve more around me, how can I revolve more around God.
One of the things I'm learning, just like the crucifix here, we tend to think that suffering is some sort of terrible bad and we're given a cross its God’s disdain for us, but it was through the cross that he revealed his love in the most powerful ways. Through the cross that he paid for our sins. It was through the cross that life conquered death, that's where we see the resurrection because of the cross. We're meant to see the cross not as a sign of despair, but as a sign of hope, as Saint Paul says in his letter, Hail Holy Cross, my only hope. So, as we approach this week what I want to encourage you to do, is ask the Lord for that grace of renewing your mind according to the mind of Christ, being transformed by thinking like Christ thinks, that's what we all want.
August 15th is the Feast of the Assumption where our Blessed Mother had her eyes fixed on Jesus and he took her body and soul into heaven and assumed her there. Maybe we can take a lesson from her and meditate on all the things that Christ taught us to ponder these things in our hearts. So that we truly revolve around Christ, so we are transformed by the renewal of our minds. On Monday, there will be the mass at 8:00 AM, not normally a Monday Mass, but it's the Assumption, so that's a great way for us to start out being renewed in our minds by pondering with Our Lady what Christ has done for us.
God Bless You,
Fr. Matt