Friday December 16, 2022

“We’re set free by the truth when we take control of our choices and travel the high moral road by imitating Christ.”

Good News Reflection for:

Friday of the 3rd Week of Advent
December 16, 2022

Today’s Prayer:

Thank You, Lord, for bringing me to know You more and for uniting myself with You. Help me to receive You with an open heart and an alert and willing spirit. Amen.

Subscribe to Today’s Saint Quote & Prayer:
gnm.org/SaintQuotes/

Today’s Readings:

Isaiah 56:1-3a, 6-8
Ps 67:2-3, 5, 7-8
John 5:33-36
bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121622.cfm
USCCB Podcast of the Readings:
bible.usccb.org/podcasts/audio/2022-12-16-usccb-daily-mass-readings-0

Testifying by our actions

In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus talks about testifying to the truth. The way we are to testify is not by using words but by choosing actions that verify the truth of our words.

The first reading tells us to “observe what is right and do what is just.” Are you in a difficult situation that makes it hard to remain holy all the time? God assures us that we must persevere in doing what’s right, “for my salvation is about to come, my justice is about to be revealed.”

Wonderful! It’s about to happen! But how does it come? How does he reveal it? — for us?

By the decisions we make.

If we believe the truth about salvation, we don’t want to mess it up by sinning. The truth is, Jesus died on the cross to set your soul free from sin, and then he gave you his Holy Spirit so that even in the most challenging of times and strongest of temptations, you can remain holy instead of succumbing to sin.

The truth is, Jesus is the Light that reveals the truth, and if we live in any darkness because we want to make moral compromises, deciding for ourselves what is right and what is wrong, we’re easily tossed to and fro on the waves of temptation. The moral relativism that is rampant in our world obscures the truth. How much is it affecting your vision of Jesus?

Although we want to have a close relationship with God, we blindly turn away from him whenever we choose to ignore the moral absolutes of the Bible or the teachings of the Church. Moral relativism — believing that everyone is entitled to their own opinions about whether something is sinful or not — fails to birth Jesus into the world. Why do we choose that? It’s not what we want, not really.

To bring light into the darkness so that we can avoid the pitfalls that cause us to sin, and to see Christ more clearly and make him more visible to others, we have to do more than just desire to live in the light of the truth. We have to work hard. We have to pay attention — with humility — to identify the ways we’re vulnerable to temptations, not to be filled with guilt, not to belittle ourselves, but to choose the better way.

We’re enslaved to sin when we remain blind to our vulnerabilities; we’re set free by the truth when we take control of our choices and travel the high moral road by imitating Christ.

Reflect further on this with our Faith Booster: “Be filled with joy, have faith in the Holy Spirit’s love” @ https://wordbytes.org/faith-booster-minis/have-faith-in-the-holy-spirits-love/

© 2022 by Terry A. Modica

Please minister to others by sharing this page.

Join the conversation on this reflection at

Post your prayer request.

How else can we serve you today? Visit our homepage.

Please share this with others by inviting them to visit this page. You may also print this for your personal use and you may share the print-out with others.