March 1, 2026
What does this sign tell people when they’re driving? It means traffic moves in both directions on this street.
Many of our relationships with people go like that. They’re like a two-way street, where things go in both directions. A saying about that is, “If you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours.” It means that if I do something nice for you, you should do the same for me. This is usually the way it is between brothers and sisters, as well as with your friends. Unfortunately, if someone does something bad to us, we often want to do something bad in return to them. Our relationships are often like a two-way street.
But who knows what this sign means? It means the traffic is only going in one direction. To drive the wrong way on a one-way street is very dangerous.
In our reading from Romans today, Paul says that our relationship with God is not like a two-way street. It isn’t like if I do good things for God, then He will be good to me. Or if I do something bad against God, He will punish me.
No, instead, between you and God, it’s like a one-way street. We do not and cannot work our way up to God. Instead, it’s all about God coming to us and giving us so many gifts in Jesus. What are some of His gifts to us? How about things like love, forgiveness, life, mercy, and grace. How about the wonderful gift of being adopted into God’s family in our baptism? God gives us new life, makes us His children, washes away our sins, and delivers many other wonderful promises. All God, all grace, all gift, one way to us!
We simply receive these gifts, like you do on your birthday or at Christmas. That’s what we call faith. Faith is believing that God is doing the whole job of giving gifts to us, that we don’t do anything to get them, that it’s a one-way street with God the only one driving. As we heard in today’s Second Reading from Romans, this is how it was long ago with Abraham. He is the father of all who believe—that means each and every one of you—all because of Abraham’s great-great-many-times great-grandson Jesus living, dying, and rising for us.
Thank You, God, for sending Your Son, Jesus, to be my Saviour. Grant me faith to believe that He has died and risen again for me, and that I now have the free gift of eternal life with You! Amen.