We always give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, for we have heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love that you have for all the holy ones because of the hope reserved for you in heaven. Of this you have already heard  through the word of truth, the Gospel, that has come to you. Just as in the whole world it is bearing fruit and growing, so also among you, from the day you heard it and came to know the grace of God in truth. (Colossians 1:3-8)

St Paul acknowledges the Colossians for their faithfulness to the word of truth. Their efforts in witnessing the Gospel bear fruit and grow abundantly. Job well done Colossians! Today we have an opportunity to exam our choices. Every day we have to make choices.  When you wake up in the morning, you have to decide what you want to have for breakfast and what you want to wear that day. On your way into work, you have to decide what radio station to listen to.  During your day at your job, you have to decide what projects or assignments have to take priority.  On the way home, you have to decide which route you want to take.  After supper, you decide what to watch on TV, what social media that you want to engage in. Before you go to bed, you decide what book you want to read, what show you want to watch.  Finally, you decide what time you want your alarm clock to go off in the morning. These are just a few of the many decisions and choices you make each day.  It’s been said that we make over 1000 decisions in a single day but ultimately there are only two kinds. Choices that bring life and bear fruits and choices that result in death and destruction. Here are the characteristics of those choices.

Characteristics of choices that bring life and bear fruit:
+ Humility
+ Liberality
+ Chastity
+ Meekness
+ Temperance
+ Brotherly love
+ Diligence

Characteristics of choices that result in death and destruction:
+ Pride
+ Covetousness
+ Lust
+ Anger
+ Gluttony
+ Envy
+ Sloth

Now you have only one decision to make before you: Are we going to choose to bear bad fruit, or are ...

You don't pick a bad apple and pay for it!

Prayer to Help in Making a Decision

O God, you know that today—or very soon—I must make a decision which is going to affect my whole life. Help me to choose rightly—and to choose the right way. Grant me your guidance, and with it grant me the humble obedience to accept it. Help me not necessarily to choose what I want to do, but what you want me to do. Grant that I may not be swayed solely by fear or by hope of gain, by selfish love of ease or comfort or by personal ambition, by the desire to escape or by longing for prestige. Help me today in humble obedience to say to you, “Lord, what will you have me to do?” and then await your guidance, and accept your leading. Hear this prayer of mine and send an answer so clear that I cannot mistake it. This I ask for your love’s sake! Amen. (William Barclay)

Mary, seat of wisdom. Pray for us.

Hail Mary full of grace…

Peace in Christ,
Father Vincent Vuong Nguyen