Daily Devotional

The scribes and Pharisees were more concerned about their appearance than their holiness. They invested heavily in looking good but remained ugly in God’s sight. They took seats of honour at banquets but remained unworthy of the eternal banquet. They sat in the front rows of the synagogue, but without oil in their lamps, they were destined to stay outside like the foolish virgins. (cf. Matthew 25:1-13).

The easiest way to avoid condemning others is to examine our conscience thoroughly: “If I were in that person’s shoes, would I have done better?” Daniel’s prayer in today’s first reading caught the attention of God because it contained an honest acknowledgement of sins.

Many obstacles and potholes usually mar the journey to anything excellent and beautiful. Even serving God is not easy. No one, not even Jesus Christ the Son of God, was spared suffering, pain, and sorrow. Like gold, which has to experience fire, you would face a lot of fires that would remove impurities from you. Don’t give up on God. Don’t think that your prayers are in vain. Things would not always be like this. Don’t worry: after the story comes the glory.