The Tree of Life – An Advent Reflection
To the Ends of the Earth: Witness – Week 8, Day 1 – The World is a Dead and Desolate Land of Lost Sinners
Photo by Art Institute of Chicago on Unsplash
What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all; for I have already charged that all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin, as it is written:
“None is righteous, no, not one;
no one understands, no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside, together they have gone wrong;
no one does good, not even one.”
“Their throat is an open grave,
they use their tongues to deceive.”
“The venom of asps is under their lips.”
“Their mouth is full of curses and bitterness.”
“Their feet are swift to shed blood,
in their paths are ruin and misery,
and the way of peace they do not know.”
“There is no fear of God before their eyes.”
Romans 3: 9–18
The lesson of the dry bones is clear: those outside the family of God are dead, incapable of making themselves alive again. Because of Original Sin, we are all powerless to seek God or to reach heaven. Our nature has been so wounded by sin that, not only are we unable to save ourselves, our hearts are inclined to what is evil (Jer 17:9).
But we have hope that in Jesus, all who have been deprived of the glory of God can be set free from the law of sin and death, through the atoning sacrifice of Christ. He restores the dry bones to life. What a marvelous message we have to speak to those who are trapped in sin and feel powerless to change. As we take to heart the message that there are none who are righteous, it should strengthen our resolve to reach out to all who are outside the Kingdom of God.
Questions for reflection
Do you really believe that life outside of Christ is a wilderness of dry bones? What makes this hard to accept?
How have you seen the power of Christ’s resurrection in your own life?
What people in your life need your witness and your prayers, so that they may receive the new life Jesus wants to give them?
Praying with Scripture
They have all gone astray, they are all alike corrupt; there is none that does good, no, not one. (Ps 14:3)
You can learn more about the To the Ends of the Earth Series HERE
You can watch and listen to this devotion HERE
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About the Author
Mark C. McCann is an author and Ministry Consultant with more than 30 years of writing and ministry experience. He has published articles for a number of Catholic magazines and websites including St. Anthony Messenger, Emmanuel Magazine, Liguorian Magazine, Catholic Stand, the Connecticut Catholic Men's Conference, and Homiletic and Pastoral Review. He recently published the 4-volume Catholic men's devotional, To the Ends of the Earth, as well as the 2021 Advent Daybreaks devotional and 2022 Lenten Daybreaks devotional with Liguori Publishing. He has also released his End Times novel series, Jacob's Dream: The Vision and Jacob's Dream: The Final Battle. He was a radio host and producer for 8 years at a Connecticut Christian radio station and has worked as a Catholic religion teacher/campus minister and a parish youth minister. He has also served the Norwich, CT Diocese as a Youth Ministry Director and Family Life Director. He currently lives in Connecticut with his Proverbs 31 wife, where together they have brought up three incredible children. He strives each day to live out his call to be a man of words. You can learn more about Mark and his writing at www.wordsnvisions.com.
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