At our baptism or our confirmation, whichever is the case, we made a vow to rid ourselves of the old Adam. We openly declared our determination to follow God in faith and obedience and to renounce evil.

This becomes possible when we commit ourselves to follow the example of Jesus Christ. Jesus adhered to the word of God and remained obedient even when the devil tempted Him in the wilderness. He trusted His Father to the very end, and even when His suffering was greatest on the cross, He was convinced: “My Father loves Me.”

Let us listen obediently and trustingly to what Christ has to say to us today. For example, the Lord urges us to seek first the kingdom of God. Earthly things must not become too important to us because the goal is not life on earth, but eternal life.

What’s more, there must be a personal development. We have received gifts from God which we must make use of. We must work and fight to keep our faith until the end.

This does not mean being bigger and better than our neighbour. People often want more than the next person. There is no room for that in the kingdom of God.

Brothers and sisters, let us open our hearts to Jesus Christ and to what He has to tell us.

April 2023