14 October 2021
Thursday of the Twenty-eighth Week in Ordinary Time
If you do something good, you should be rewarded. We learn this in kindergarten. Paul seems to have missed that lesson, as he tells us that boasting on the basis of what we have done “is ruled out” (Rm. 3:27). The reason is simple: the effects of sin go deeper than we often realize. Even when we desire to do something that is good, sin still mars our wills, so that the motive is often impure. There is no truly, purely good action that we can claim for credit apart from God’s grace.
However, the more we recognize the reality of sin in our lives, the more we recognize the reality of grace in our lives. We do recognize moments in our lives when we have acted purely out of love, and we can see goodness in our hearts even in the midst of the sin. This is God at work in our hearts in a very palpable way. See the full reality of sin in your life, see the reality of grace in your life, and give thanks to Jesus Christ for all that is good.