1st Sunday of Advent, C

God of Integrity

Luke 21:25-28,34-36 

Let us reflect on the first reading when the city of Jerusalem would be known as "God-our-integrity".

It is quite unusual that a city be called "God".  Could our cities and all its people be regarded the same way?  Is the whole city Godly?

As we enter into the new liturgical season, this time calls us to renewal of faith and to be persons of integrity.  What is integrity?

Integrity connotes a state of wholeness, of undefilement, of moral soundness, of a pure heart.  It is contrasted with a compromising heart in the face of sin, that it's normal to be evil because people are evil.  It is natural to be "evil".

Definitely, it's not natural to be evil.  We all come from God.  No matter how seemingly evil a person is, we know that God created us in his image and likeness.  Let us take it as a challenge then to be formed in the image and likeness of God.

Holiness. God wants us to be holy and blameless like him.  We may not be perfect outright, but we can devote each moment for formation, and allow God to form us each day. The gauge is willingness. Are we willing to be formed  to be blameless and holy?

Third, we are made clean by the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus.  And the only way toward a life of integrity is to follow Jesus, to suffer with him, to die with him, so we can be raised in him.  Heed St. Paul's statement of renewed Christians, "It is not I who live but Christ who lives in me."  And if Jesus is merciful, so too we are to be merciful to one another, especially the poor.

We can only be persons of integrity if we possess God in our lives.  Let us also pray that our city may be a Holy City where God dwells.


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