Persist in prayer and practice

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today tend to focus on the imperfection of the world around us and both the need to be resolute in the practice of holiness which requires embracing the servant nature of Jesus and “suffering” for others as He did in obedience to the will of the Father. The need for this mission of holiness is underlined by some examples of the clearing of fruitlessness and irreverence from the surroundings by Jesus as Mark tells of His encounter with the barren fig tree and the buyers and sellers in the Temple. The 1st Letter of Peter, the psalm and the Gospel of Mark agree that the discipline of prayer, praise and forgiveness is necessary for humans to keep connected to the path of Life.