Romans 6:19-23 / Luke 12:49-53
Much has been said about the power of the human mind and the heart.
The mind and the heart set a direction and a conviction for our lives.
In other words, the human spirit can determine where it wants to go and what it wants to do.
But we may remember that Jesus said this to His disciples in the garden of Gethsemane: The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
So the human body is the expression of the human spirit.
In the 1st reading, St. Paul emphasizes the importance of the human body as he says this: as once you put your bodies at the service of vice and immorality, so now you must put them at the service of righteousness for your sanctification.
So more than just deciding or determining to turn away from sin, we must also prevent our body and our senses from coming into contact with situations and occasions of sin.
Similarly, more than just deciding or determining to be good and holy, we must get our body and senses on the ways of God.
So let us train our bodies in the ways of holiness and sanctification, just like an athlete trains the body for the sport.
In this way, our bodies and senses will turn away from sin and death, and receive the present given by God, which is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.