COLLECT

O God, the strength of all who put their trust in you: Mercifully accept our prayers; and because in our weakness we can do nothing good without you, give us the help of your grace, that in keeping commandments we may please you both in will and deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

SIRACH 15:15-20 . . . an instruction in the responsibility of human beings for their own actions.

PSALM 119:1-8. . . The psalmist takes great delight in the Lord’s statutes and seeks to keep all God’s commandments.

1 CORINTHIAN 3:1-9 . . . Paul admonishes the Corinthians for their bickering and divisions

MATTHEW 5:21-37 . . . Jesus’ concern with the heart of human behavior.

THE SERMON

Michael Renninger, pastor of St. Mary Catholic Church, in Richmond Virginia, invites us to consider how answering God’s call with “as you wish” can change our lives