The Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead.

Romans 8:9-11, You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

One of my teachers noted that Saint Francis referred to his own body as “Brother Ass,” for he saw the same problem as Paul, that we do not do the things that we want to do, but find things working against us. And yet we can take heart, for we have this great blessing: the Spirit of God lives within us, he is there to guide and counsel us if only we will take time to listen. And it is his life within us that gives life to our mortal bodies if only we will allow it!

We thank you for your promise to grant your spirit to those who ask: fill us with your Holy Spirit today to bring your life to our mortal bodies!

ESV Lectionary