Today at Holy Mass in the first reading from Micah we are told something important…Something our world desperately needs to believe…”Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, And will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt? You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins”…….Our world today reels from wounds due to sins…We all sin, its sadly apart of the human condition and the reality is, sin wounds us….The secular world has no answer for these wounds - Instead of bringing them to God Sacramentally, the wounds of sin fester and are rationalized away - Then the hurt as a result of sin is projected upon others…..Those who have eyes to “see” - “See” this all around us…There is only one cure and our Catholic faith provides it through the Sacrament of Reconciliation…..Intellectually one can tell themselves, even with the best of intentions - “Jesus forgave me of my sins” - We can tell ourselves this all day and everyday - But if we do not bring our sins to a Catholic priest and have them forgiven Sacramentally - Those sins remain….In our reading today from Micah, we are told something that should bring us great joy - That God delights in clemency - Why would we not take him up on it? - Its there for the taking!…..Time does not heal old wounds…..And sinful habits that are not broken are a form a slavery…..The answer to so many of our problems can be solved - Beginning with these words…”Bless me Father for I have sinned - Its been “x” amount of years since my last confession”…..Freedom is staring us in the face on the other side of one Sacramental Confession.
“I will get up and go to my father and shall say to him, Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you”
Social Media has its benefits….Its a good way to keep in touch with old friends…Recently a friend of mine from college, who I lived with for two years and currently lives many miles way asked me privately about going to confession…..I knew Sean all four years of my college career…I knew his brothers and also his father….They all were good people…..Sean was just like me, we came from good Catholic homes, went to a Catholic University…and sadly “forgot” everything that was taught and shown to us before we entered college…We both lived the life of the prodigal son and because of bad choices we both made - Life taught us hard lessons!…I “figured things out” sooner then Sean and returned to my Catholic roots but Sean, now in his fifties was beginning to “see the light”…..So Sean reached out to me and asked me about going to Confession…I told him I go to Confession every two weeks….And my first real “adult confession” was when I was twenty-two years old - After I returned home from college and my life was a mess!….I told Sean the devil tries to discourage us from going to Confession, even as we open the door to the Confessional, but once we “get it over with” we feel great!….Confessing our sins is a lot easier then we all think…..After I told Sean all this - Time went by - And he never brought the topic up again…Around one month later - Sean sent me a message - It was short and to the point - “I did it - I went to Confession”…..I responded with a “thumbs up”….."The Lord is good and his mercy endures forever"
“Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, "This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
The theme of today’s readings from Mass centers in on God’s mercy and forgiveness…The Gospel echoes the message from the Prophet Micah in the first reading…In the Gospel we heard the story of the Prodigal son…We all know this story and sadly most of us “lived” this story - At least I did….I shared in this reflection how my friend Sean came back to God, after squandering the many gifts given to him by his Catholic family - I can say that because I was no different…We are told so many “nice things” about God when we are children…Our parents warn us….Good teachers educate us and warn us too…But all that “good stuff” can so easily “go in one ear and out the other ear”…..Sometimes, like the young man in the story of the Prodigal son, we have to “feel the burn” of “hard times”………”When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any”…….God works in mysterious ways - He also works sometimes through the bad choices we make and through the many “crooked paths” of our life…But through it all - The “seeds” of Baptism are constantly “churning” and the “Hound of Heaven” is always on the “prowl” for lost souls……This is why we as Catholics, who practice our faith must live and work amongst the many who do not….We are told in the Gospel reading today from St Luke that the pharisees took offense that Jesus “welcomes sinners and eats with them”……How else can the “sick” get better? - If we do not reach a hand to “the sick” and show them a path forward by the witness of our life…..The late Pope Francis made a statement that has and always will stick with me….”The Catholic Church is not a museum for saints - But a hospital for sinners”…….We as Catholics are all sinners! - And when we “think” we are somehow “better” then others - Who simply do not sin like we do - If we “think” this way - Something is very wrong!….Now, don’t get me wrong - This does not mean we condone sin nor does it mean we can distribute the Blessed Sacrament to those who live in objective mortal sin - But it does mean we should never “shut people out” of our life….Open the doors wide to Christ - The doors of the Church must always be open! - And we as Catholics must always be at those Church doors with a smile on our face and a hand extended to every and any soul who approaches us!….“Those who are healthy do not need a physician, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous to repentance but sinners”…….The minute we “think” we are somehow better then others - We become worse!…..A kind smile and a welcoming word can work wonders - Leave the rest to God…………JMJ
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