You are Mine

        At the end of each of our earthly lives, we will either hear Jesus say “You are mine” or hear Satan say “You are mine.” There is a constant battle going on in our lives between good and evil. Through His cross, Jesus has won the battle, but it is up to us now to accept His grace and live as those redeemed by Jesus. There are certainly manifestations of grace and manifestations of evil all around us, but we can take the side of Jesus in the battle for our lives by overcoming sin and temptation.
        How do we overcome sin and temptation? If something is leading us into temptation and sin then we avoid that. Perhaps, for some people, alcohol is an occasion of sin because it leads one to commit sin. For others, it could be an internet site, magazine, or other forms of media which present various sins as glamorous. This could gradually break down our defenses to the point where we convince ourselves that certain sins are okay. Jesus is asking us to reflect on our lives to see if anything is leading us in the wrong direction and take steps to remedy it.
        Apart from avoiding the occasions of sin, we can also strengthen ourselves against evil in many ways. We can pray to overcome sin. The greatest prayer is the Mass. St. Pope John Paul II said, “Every Eucharistic Celebration is stronger than all the evil in the universe. It means real, concrete accomplishment of redemption and even deeper reconciliation of sinful man with God in prospect of a better world.”
        Reading Sacred Scripture is also a great remedy because there we encounter God’s words to us, His love letter to us. Our Blessed Mother has repeatedly told us in her apparitions that praying the Rosary is a powerful weapon against Satan. When we pray the Rosary, we let Mary take us to her Son, Jesus. Holy Water is a powerful sacramental that helps protect us from evil. Every time we bless ourselves with Holy Water, we are imploring our Triune God to protect us from evil.
        There is a battle going on in the lives of each of us, a battle between good and evil. Through His cross Jesus has won the battle, but it is up to us now to accept His grace and live as those redeemed by Jesus. Jesus is asking us to reflect on our lives to see if anything is leading us in the wrong direction, and if so, to take steps to remedy occasions of sin and live in the grace of Jesus so that we may hear Him say to us at the end, “You are mine.”

May God love and bless you!                                                                               
Sr. Kathleen Fitzpatrick, IHM