live shame-lessly
"If anyone in this faithless and corrupt age is ashamed of Me and My doctrine, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes with the holy angels in His Father's glory." —Mark 8:38
We are never to be ashamed of Jesus (Mk 8:38), His words, or the gospel (Rm 1:16). We should never be ashamed "of the law of the Most High and His precepts, or of the sentence to be passed upon the sinful" (Sir 42:2). We should never be ashamed of taking measures to be just, cautious, and discreet (Sir 42:3-8).
We should always be ashamed of immorality, falsehood, flattery, crime, disloyalty, lying, stealing, overeating, stinginess, aloofness, impure glances, thoughts and actions, harsh words, insults, and betraying secrets (Sir 41:15-24).
By believing in Jesus, loving Him, and not being ashamed of Him, we receive the grace to resist temptations and not fall into the shameful consequences of sin. "There is no condemnation now for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Rm 8:1). Without a total commitment to Jesus, shame or a dead conscience is inevitable. Only in Christ are we truly shameless (see Ps 34:6) and living in the full dignity of a child of God. In Christ, live shamelessly.
Prayer: Father, exterminate shame from my life.
Promise: "Be assured, then, that faith without works is dead as a body without breath." —Jas 2:26
Praise: Mark and Karen expressed their solidarity with the poor by taking a trip to visit a ministry which aided the poor of the impoverished city of Juarez, Mexico.
Reference: (For a related teaching, order our tape on Shame on audio AV 54-3 or video V-54.)
Nihil Obstat: Reverend Richard Walling, July 18, 2003
Imprimatur: †Most Reverend Carl K. Moeddel, Vicar General and Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, July 24, 2003