What beautiful words they are

Today at Holy Mass we hear in the Gospel of St John how the first apostles thought since Jesus was dead, the “mission” also died with him…How wrong they were!….The first apostles were fishermen so that is what they went back too - Fishing - And while they were fishing, St John sees Jesus on the shore…..”So the disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, "It is the Lord." When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he tucked in his garment, for he was lightly clad, and jumped into the sea”…….Not too long ago, St Peter betrayed Jesus and here he is rushing to greet the Risen Lord…..You would think Peter after betraying God, would have run in the opposite direction…..This moment tells us so much about the character of St Peter -  This moment tells us, in my opinion, about the greatness of St Peter - That “greatness” was grounded in his humility!……From the very beginning, when Adam and Eve betrayed God and ate of the Tree of Knowledge in the Garden of Eden - What did they do? - They hid - Not Peter! - He did the exact opposite of Adam and Eve - St Peter ran towards Christ after he betrayed him…This is the lesson for all of us today…..Each and everyone of us is a sinner - And because that is reality - We must confront our sins - We do that by “running to Jesus” as St Peter did, not away from him  - And we do that by confessing our sins Sacramentally….Its when we confront our sins “head on” that we like St Peter encounter the Risen Lord……Our world today does the exact opposite - It “glosses” over sins - Makes excuses for sins - “Rationalizes” sins away - But our sins don’t go away!…..Only Jesus Christ can forgive sins and when you go to Confession with a Catholic Priest, you encounter Christ himself!….Our world today is so weighed-down by guilt and shame - And those wounds caused by sins are then projected onto others…….Jesus walked the earth for one reason only - “To take away the sins of the world”…But for that to happen, we must Sacramentally confess!….Sins do not “magically” go away - In fact, its just the opposite, sins and the wounds caused by sins fester - Time does not heal our wounds caused by sins…..There is only one cure! - One Sacramental Confession can wipe away a lifetime of sins!…..And this is why St Peter was so great - He confronted his sins and because of that God forgave him and as a result the fisherman who the world once knew became a saint…..”Bless me Father for I have sinned!” - A “new chapter” of life awaits us….But it will not “magically”happen - We have to confront our sins as St Peter did - Running way does not make our sins go away!

"His mercy endures forever.”…..Let those who fear the LORD say, "His mercy endures forever"

People talk about “change” all the time - But does anything really change?….People seem to repeat the same mistakes over and over again…This is why living Sacramentally is so vital….When we regularly confess our sins, not only are we forgiven, but we are given grace to overcome our sins in time…This is how we grow in virtue and this is how we also grow in sanctity…..And as a result of going to Confession regularly, when Catholics then receive the Blessed Sacrament in the state of grace - God then “rains down” grace into our soul….This is not “rocket science” - This is “Catholicism 101” - But is this happening?…..The lines for Holy Communion at Mass seem to be much longer than the lines for Confession…Maybe that needs to change?….A little bit of preparation goes a long way…When we prepare our soul to receive the Blessed Sacrament each week at Mass - We will notice the difference! - So will our family and the world around us notice the difference - That is how “real change” happens!….Catholics can not give to others what they do not have and if we are not living in the state of grace - We will not benefit from receiving the Blessed Sacrament at Mass - It cannot be written any clearer than that - Is this perennial Catholic teaching being taught in our homes, in our schools and from the pulpits of our Churches?…..If not, maybe it needs to be!

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it”

Today at Mass we heard in the Gospel how St Peter confronts Jesus after he betrayed him….Think about it - St Peter betrayed God! - That is a big-time sin! - But St Peter did not let that reality prevent him from reconciling himself to the man he betrayed…..How about us?……Each of us are sinners - Do we have the humility to confront the man we too have betrayed?…..This is how we are healed and this is how we are propelled forward…..For God’s grace to manifest in our life, we have to “clear away” the obstacles that “get in the way” of that grace….This begins with these words - “Bless me Father for I have sinned”…..What beautiful words they are…….JMJ