Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan’s plea, defend the widow.

Come now, let us set things right,
says the LORD:
Though your sins be like scarlet,
they may become white as snow;
Though they be crimson red,
they may become white as wool.

Isaiah 1: 16-18

Here are the complete readings for Tuesday, March 18, 2025

(“The Ancient of Days” by William Blake)

Learn to do good. That sentence gives me hope. God has confidence that we are capable of growth and wisdom to turn in a direction of service and compassion. In both Isaiah and in the Gospel, we are called to embrace a radical humility that frees us, especially from the weight of guilt or shame. How can we recognize when we get in our own way through illusions that we create for ourselves about our priorities? What are the moments of the day that allow us to do some short but meaningful reflection about where we are, and who we are, to ourselves and the people we encounter? At the end of each day, this day, how much have we learned?

In calling you
God too was completely free.
Your Founder,
Theodore James Ryken,
was most conscious of this,
since he wrote about his own vocation:
God is not obliged
to give an account to anybody,
even if God wants to use a sinner. – The Fundamental Principles of the Xaverian Brothers

God, help us appreciate humility as a gift and not a sacrifice. Thank you for giving us a new day to turn towards you and away from that which separates us from love and relationships. Thank you for the small moments in the day that give us clarity and direction, and for the people who encourage us to choose what is good. We are grateful for the exalted servant leaders in our midst, who remove barriers and bring us closer together. May we also accept that we have a calling, and pursue it each day.

Amen