17th Week in Ordinary Time (B) : Thursday 1st August 2024

In celebrating the life of a saint, a Christian cannot think of his mission on earth without seeing it as a path of holiness, because “this is God’s will: your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3).

Each saint mirrors a plan of the Father to reflect and realise, at each specific event in history, a specific element of the Gospel. Our mission finds its full meaning in Christ, and is understood only through Him.

The life of St Alphonsus Liguori turned drastically when he failed at the civil court, yet God prepared him for religious and priestly life to exemplify lasting moral values to diverse crowds comprising the educated elite and the sickly poor alike. The re-shaping of his life by God is akin to the potter who can turn a lump of clay into beauty. God the potter will always reshape our lives. With His hands He will mould us into favorable instruments, durable and beneficial in the circumstances so we can give our best to those in need. Are we docile to this?

It is true that when the clay goes wrong, the potter starts afresh. Indeed, we are given ample opportunity to choose only the good, therefore, seize the opportunity to rectify our choices, start anew since, in the final analysis, Jesus emphasizes only the good will be collected.

Shape us Lord, according to Your heart and make us durable till the end.