Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1771293 times)

cassini · « **Reply #55 on:** June 05, 2024, 10:46:53 AM »

Fr Sean again.
The Reality of Sin

The Church has celebrated all the major feasts of Jesus and now enters what she calls “Ordinary Time.” The liturgical colour is green, which symbolizes hope. During this time the Church, guided by the Holy Spirit, calls her members to reflect on the state of their personal faith in Jesus. She begins this week by raising our consciousness of how sin came about, the reality of its effects on humanity, and the human need for a Saviour.

Even though Jesus began His public ministry with the words, “Reform your life, repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mk 1:14-15) and stated that His purpose on earth was “to call sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:32), it is rare today, even in His Church, to hear about sin. Someone said that the only rich desserts are referred to as sinful today. What is sin? The Catechism answers: “Sin is an offence against God. It rises up against God in a disobedience contrary to the obedience of Christ … it wounds a man’s nature and injures human solidarity” (Pars 1871-1872). Sin is forgetting or ignoring that we’re God’s creatures acting as if we were our own god determining good and evil for ourselves independently of God’s law. Sin is lawlessness. It’s any thought, word, or action that we commit or omit which endangers and undermines our relationship with God, our personal integrity, and our love for our neighbour. There are two kinds of sin: venial and mortal. Venial sin is omitting to love as we should; mortal sin is the deliberate disobedience of God’s Law. Those who say there’s no hell or that hell is empty are due for a rude awakening when they die.

Where did sin originate? It began in the Garden of Eden when Satan, the “father of lies” (Jn 8:44), persuaded Adam and Eve into thinking they could have life independently of God. Later, when God confronted them about their sin of disobedience, Adam blamed Eve. He implied it was also God’s fault: “The woman whom you put here with me gave me fruit from the tree and so I ate it.” When God asked Eve, “Why did you do such a thing?” she blamed the devil: “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it” (Gn 3:13). The blame game and the refusal to take responsibility for personal actions began. Sin epitomizes egotism. It’s the false thinking that we can be God and determine our own truth and moral standard. Sin is the free act of man and woman myopically attempting to satisfy selfish and oftentimes intrinsically evil desires that create disorder in the person’s life and in society. This is why sin is delusional. It’s the false belief that we can satisfy our needs and be happy independently of God.

The world today is riddled with sin which spawns a culture of death through legalizing abortion, assisted ѕυιcιdє, euthanasia, sodomy, and transgenderism. It rears its ugly head in sɛҳuąƖ trafficking and perversion, pornography, dishonesty, hopelessness, and a horrible disrespect for the dignity of the human person. It often disguises itself as compassion. This is why the world desperately needs Jesus Christ. This is why Jesus desperately needs His Church to “preach the Word; be ready in season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching” ( 2 Tim 4:2). The Psalmist wrote, “If You, O Lord, mark our evildoing, Lord who can stand? But with You is forgiveness, that You may be revered …He will redeem Israel from all their iniquities” (Ps 130:1-8).

Jesus’ mission was, “…to call sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:32). This is what gives us the hope that St. Paul wrote about. “We have that spirit of faith of which the Scripture says, ‘Because I believed, I spoke out.’ We believe and so we speak, knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up along with Jesus and place both us and you in His presence … We do not lose heart, because our inner being is renewed each day even though our body is being destroyed at the same time” (2 Cor 4:13-14, 16). The outer life of our body is daily ebbing away but our soul’s life is renewed daily through the Holy Spirit purifying and leading our spirit to repentance, forgiveness, and restitution for the damage caused by our sin. This is why Jesus gifted His Church with the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

How do we renew our soul, our inner being? By making sure, in Padre Pio’s words, that it’s “a nest of love” for the Lord to reside in. To welcome Jesus as the most important Guest of our soul we must admit that we’re sinners in need of salvation. Since Jesus came to call sinners, only those who recognize their sinfulness or tendency to sin appreciate Him and show gratitude for His just and merciful presence. Recognizing ourselves as sinners keeps us aware that our spirit needs the Holy Spirit to keep it clean and directed towards God and His gifts of Heaven, freedom, and happiness. Since sin damages the humanity of the sinner and those sinned against, we must first repent, then seek forgiveness, and finally make restitution for the damage we caused. Self-righteous people think they have no sin and so feel no need for Jesus or His Church. To ease their conscience they try to manipulate the Church to suit their egotistical agenda. They shut out God’s Spirit and follow their delusional thoughts of saving the planet or controlling the climate, ignoring or rejecting God’s existence as essential for human fulfilment and saving mankind from self-destruction.

Our spirit reflects who we are, what we believe, the state of our soul, and determines our relationships. My spirit reflects what’s in my heart, which reflects the state of my soul. It reflects either a sin-stained or a grace-filled soul. When God meets us it’s an encounter between our human spirit and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit encounters our spirit and vice versa. Since we can’t recognize God’s presence unless He reveals Himself to us through Christ whom we recognize through the power of the Holy Spirit, our spirit must be receptive to His. If it isn’t, then the Holy Spirit can’t touch our heart and sanctify our soul. This is why Jesus teaches us that the only unforgivable sin is that against the Holy Spirit. “I give you my word, every sin will be forgiven mankind and all the blasphemies men utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. He carries the guilt of his sin without end” (Mk 3:28-29).

On a human level, if my spirit isn’t receptive to your spirit, we cannot have a relationship. Similarly if my spirit is closed to God’s Spirit He can’t help me. Self-righteous people sin against the Holy Spirit by refusing to admit their sin and so think they don’t need to be forgiven. It’s not that God won’t forgive them as much as they put themselves beyond forgiveness. God created us to love and be like Him. We cannot accomplish this without the Holy Spirit. Consciousness of our tendency to sin and our need to take responsibility for it makes us aware of our need for the Holy Spirit to purify our spirit and lead us to repentance, forgiveness, restitution, and amendment of our life. Thus Jesus’ presence in His Church saving us from our sinfulness should evoke our deepest gratitude and sense of joy. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #56 on:** June 14, 2024, 04:18:21 AM »

Fr Sean again.
Have You Found God’s Kingdom on Earth?

The theme of Jesus’ mission on earth was, “Reform your lives! The Kingdom of Heaven is close at hand” (Mt 4:17). The Kingdom of God is Heaven, which is beyond our ability to fully grasp. On earth, the Kingdom of God enables people to reform their lives. It is the visible social environment in which God fulfils His will in people’s hearts. Jesus used parables to describe God’s Kingdom. He said, “It is like a Mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground, it is the smallest of seeds on the earth. But once it is sown it becomes the largest of plants and puts forth branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade” (Mk 4:26-32). This parable reflects God’s prophecy in Ezekiel (17:22-24): “I will tear off a tender shoot …It shall pour forth branches and bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar.”

Jesus established God’s Kingdom on earth that began small but has grown mysteriously, providing shelter for mankind from Satan’s onslaughts. Since God’s Kingdom on earth is where Jesus is present, everyone who’s united with Him is in His Kingdom. That union is signified in the Sacrament of Baptism. It is in entering God’s Kingdom on earth that we’re helped to make sure that our Heavenly Father’s will is “done on earth as it is in Heaven” (Mt 6:9-10). This is why Jesus taught His apostles and His followers to pray “Thy kingdom come …” (Mt 6:10). Praying for God’s Kingdom to come reflects the yearning of the human heart for freedom, justice, love, and peace that are fully experienced in His Kingdom.

God’s Kingdom is unique. “My Kingdom does not belong to this world … As it is, my Kingdom is not here” (Jn 18:36). Heaven is the fullness of God’s Kingdom where human beings who are judged worthy of it are perfected. Entry begins on earth through embracing Jesus as our King and is completed in Heaven as participants in the life of Holy Trinity.

Belonging to God’s Kingdom on earth requires us to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor 5:6). St. Paul explains, “Now we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, then we shall see face to face. My knowledge is imperfect now; then I shall know even as I am known” (1 Cor 13:12). Therefore, in the inspired words of St. Paul, “Whether we are living in the body or away from it, we are intent on pleasing Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what we did in the body, whether good or evil” (2 Cor 5:6, 8-10).

How do we please God? The Psalmist gives us the answer (Ps 92: 2-3, 13-16): “It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praise to Your Name, Most High, to proclaim Your kindness at dawn and Your faithfulness throughout the night … They shall bear fruit even in old age; vigorous and sturdy shall they be, declaring how just is the Lord, my rock, in whom there is no wrong.” We please God by worshipping Him and obeying His Commandments. To help us accomplish this Jesus founded His Church to be the visible and social environment wherein we receive what’s necessary to carry out God’s will.

Jesus’ Church, which He founded on Peter, to whom He gave the keys of the Kingdom with the power to bind and to loose, aided and abetted by the other apostles, is the visible sign of God’s Kingdom here on earth. It’s the means through which we enter the Kingdom in Baptism, and within which we remain faithful to Jesus through receiving His grace of repentance and the gift of His forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation and where He nourishes us with His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist. God the Father “has put all things under Christ’s feet and has made Him, thus exalted, head of the Church, which is His body: the fullness of Him who fills the whole of creation” (Eph 1:22-23).

As the Head of the Church, Jesus has made it the sign of His divine presence “until the end of the world.” He assures us that this is where we await us. Jesus’ Church speaks in His Name guided by the Holy Spirit. He assured His Apostles, as the ordained leaders of His Church, of His unity with them when he said, “Anyone who listens to you listens to me; anyone who rejects you rejects me, and they who reject me reject the One who sent me” (Lk 10:16).

Jesus’ Church, made up of the Father’s adopted children, the visible sign of His Kingdom on earth, is holy and perfect in her Head, namely Jesus Himself, and in her soul who is the Holy Spirit of Truth. But the institutional Church is sinful in her human leadership and membership who are in the process of being saved since all are sinners. “If we say we have no sin in us, we are deceiving ourselves and refusing to admit the truth” (1 Jn 1:8). Jesus stated clearly, “It is not those who are well who need the doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance” (Lk 5:31-32). So the Church is the visible sign of God’s Kingdom leading us to perfection so that we can experience its fullness in Heaven. That is why the Church’s enemies focus on the sinfulness of her members rather than on the holiness of her Head, Spirit, and members striving for holiness. It’s Jesus, the Church’s Head, who saves us from sin through the power of the Holy Spirit, not her leaders or members who themselves are in need of salvation.

Jesus’ Church, then, gives visibility and entrance to His Kingdom. He is our King and we are members of His Kingdom. In His Church, the visible sign of His Kingdom, we unite with Jesus and receive His Spirit that informs, forms, and transforms us from sinners into saints in Heaven. In her Sacraments and worship we become a praying and worshipping community enjoying an intimate relationship with Jesus who calls us His friends rather than His subjects. The Holy Spirit inspires her to teach the truth about who God is, who we are, and our total dependence upon Jesus as “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” In her we know we’re with Jesus because she is His Bride (Eph 5:22-33). If we want to belong to God’s Kingdom in Heaven, we must join Jesus’ Church, the visible sign on earth of His Kingdom. It is there we walk with Him by faith on earth and behold Him by sight in Heaven. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #57 on:** June 19, 2024, 12:20:17 PM »

Fr Sean again.
Who Alone Can Calm the Storms in Your Life

Back in 1971 song writer Gene McClelland wrote, “Put your hand in the hand of the man who stilled the water/ Put your hand in the hand of the man who calmed the sea/ Take a look at yourself and you can look at others differently/By puttin’ your hand in the hand of the Man from Galilee.” The Church relates the story of Jesus and His Apostles crossing the Galilean Sea when a sudden storm swamps their boat. All became frightened while Jesus was sleeping through it all. Panicking, the Apostles awakened Jesus, blurting out, “Teacher, does it not matter to you that we are going to drown?” (Mk 4:38). Calmly He “rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ The wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mk4:39). Jesus queried the Apostles, “Why are you so terrified? Why are you lacking in faith?” (Mk 4:40). St. Mark records that, “A great awe overcame them at this. They kept saying to one another, ‘Who can this be that the wind and the sea obey Him?’” (Mk 4:41). Only delusional humans think they can change the climate and save the planet.

We’re all familiar with natural storms that often leave serious damage and suffering in their wake. But there are other kinds of storms we have to face such as disease, tragedy, failure, betrayal, abandonment, addictions, violence, and death itself. It’s often harder to weather these than what the elements impose on us. Personally experiencing these storms in life can be overwhelming. In trying to cope we often feel alone or abandoned. Even God seems absent in these unsettling times. Like the Apostles, the seemingly uncontrollable breeds anxiety, and we forget that the omnipotent God is with us. Instead of feeling confident because Jesus was in the boat with them the Apostles felt He didn’t care about them. That can happen when our storms hit. Fear displaces our faith, even though we know that God has promised to never abandon us. “Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you” (Is 49:15).

Why does God allow turbulence in our lives? Because they can be blessings. How? It’s the storms in life that test our faith, our love and our hope in Him. The storm on the Sea of Galilee tested the Apostles’ faith in Jesus. It gave Jesus the opportunity to reveal to them that He was the Messiah, the Lord of the Universe and Master of the world. Were it not for the storm they wouldn’t have come to know that Jesus’ presence dispels fear of death.

It’s the difficulties in life that remind us of our need for God and the fact that He never abandon’s us in our difficulties, but it’s us who abandon our faith in His presence. In our anxiety we abandon the security of faith and allow ourselves to be ruled by fear. This is why God tells us, “Be still, and know that I am God” (Ps 46:10). That Psalm gave rise to a hymn of faith: “When the oceans rise/ And the thunders roar/ I will soar with You/ Above the storm./ Father You are King/Over the flood/ And I will be still/ And know You are God.”

To be able to trust in God in the midst of tragedy, violence, and failure we must practice our Faith in the good times so that we will have Faith in Him in the bad times as well. We do that through daily prayer, Sunday worship and developing a charitable attitude. In Baptism God made us a new creation where Jesus lives within us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit He brings us to His Father who makes us heirs to His Kingdom. “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold new things have come” (2 Cor 5:14-17). The old attitude of fear has passed away and is replaced with a new attitude of Faith. We must take time out and be quiet so we can be with Him and hear Him assuring us of His protection. God is present in the stillness. He doesn’t involve Himself in our hysteria. He tells us to stop worrying and be confident of His presence. He’s in our boat and nothing can sink it. Instead of being anxious and worrying that we’ll drown in our miseries, we must let Jesus’ calming presence quiet our minds so we can focus on God’s providence. That’s what supernatural faith is about – recognizing that God is here and His hand guides everything that happens to us for our benefit. St. Paul reminds us: “God will not let you be tested beyond your strength. Along with the test he will give you a way out of it so that you may be able to endure it” (1 Cor 10:13).

In the midst of our storms the Psalmist tells us, “Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good, for His goodness endures forever! ... They rejoiced that they were calmed, and He brought them to their desired haven… They cried to the Lord in their distress; from their straits He rescued them, He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze, and the billows of the sea were stilled” (Ps 107:1, 23- 31). The storms in our life are blessings because they give us an opportunity to know God’s care for us on a deeper and more personal level. This is the beauty of the supernatural Faith that God gives us as a gift. But we must practice it. The storms in life may initially frighten us but fear disappears when we turn to God for His help. He’s always with us in our boat so we no longer have to be afraid of drowning. So just put your hand in the hand of the Man who stills the water and calms the sea, and you can be confident that everything will work out for you as He wants you to be. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #58 on:** June 26, 2024, 12:11:14 PM »

Fr Sean again.
The Thrust of Trust

Are you a trusting person? Trust is defined as “the firm reliance on the integrity, ability, or character of a person or thing.” (Heritage Dictionary) Trust is the emotional expression of faith both on a natural and supernatural level. Trust in others is natural faith. Natural faith is not enough to sustain the trust that friendship requires. We need faith in God to sustain friendship. Trust in God is the emotional expression of supernatural faith. The Bible describes faith as, “…confident assurance concerning what we hope for, and conviction about things we do not see” (Heb 11:1). Faith is “… the power that has conquered the world ….” (1 Jn 5:4). Trust, which is faith in God on an emotional level, thrusts us forward in hope that everything will be for our good, even when we can’t see or know how things will turn out. Faith isn’t the same as optimism. Optimism is simply wishful thinking with nothing concrete to back it up. Faith, on the other hand, is backed up by God. We can have firm reliance on His integrity, ability and character. Therefore, we can trust in Him completely. He is always faithful to His promises as we see in Holy Scripture.

Most of us have difficulty with trusting especially when our natural faith has been betrayed. Even when we believe that God is totally trustworthy we still don’t fully trust in Him on the basis of our human faith because our natural faith is not strong enough. We need the virtue of Faith that only God Himself can infuse into our heart. Trust is all about trusting ourselves enough to entrust ourselves to another. To entrust ourselves, put ourselves in another’s hands, requires a high level of inner security on our part. We don’t possess ourselves sufficiently to fully entrust ourselves to another, even to God. We need God’s help to trust in Him, in ourselves, and in one another. Trusting takes time and prayer. Jesus teaches, “I assure you, unless you change and become like little children, you will not enter the kingdom of God” (Mt 18:3). Children are secure in their innocence and completely entrust themselves to their parents. The older we get the less trusting we become as we lose our innocence and become more infected by our desire for self-sufficiency, or by the betrayals and disappointments in those on whom we rely.

How do we overcome this problem? By deepening our knowledge of God and His love for us. Trusting in God thrusts us forward to risk putting ourselves completely in His hands. Trust or mistrust is influenced by our concept of God. We all seek a life that is fulfilled, happy, successful, and joyful. But life has to contend with failure, sickness, and death. We need to realize we can trust in God because He is a God of life, happiness and peace. “God did not make death, nor does He rejoice in the destruction of the living” (Wis 1:13). God doesn’t send us death, disease, disappointment, depression, etc. “God made us imperishable; the image of His own nature He made us” (Wis 2:23). “By the envy of the devil, death entered the world” (Wis 2:24). Sin brought separation from God and with it came death, disease, lies, betrayals, and failure. To cope with these things and conquer them we need to unite with God who gives life, love, and a bright future to hope in. Trust in God empowers us to pray, “I will praise You, Lord, for You have rescued me. You have changed my mourning into dancing” (Psalm 30).

We see the thrusting effect of trusting in the healing of a woman suffering from a hemorrhage and a girl who died. The woman suffered for twelve years. Doctors couldn’t cure her. She heard about Jesus. Despite her fear, her trust in Jesus thrust her toward Him. “If I just touch His clothing I shall get well” (Mk 5:28). Jesus said to her, “Daughter, it is your faith that has cured you. Go in peace and be free of this illness” (Mk 5:34). Her faith moved her forward to entrust herself to Jesus hoping He would heal her. Then there was Jairus whose twelve-year old daughter was dying. Faith in Jesus thrusted him forward to humbly entrust his child to Jesus. “My little daughter is critically ill. Please come and lay your hands on her so she may get well and live” (Mk 5:23). The neighbors were afraid she was dead. Jesus’ response was, “Fear is useless. What is needed is trust” (Mk 5:36). Jesus brought the girl back to life and health. It was trust in Jesus that thrusted the woman and the child’s father to humbly entrust themselves to Him who alone was able to refresh them in their need.

God is a God of life, hope, love, mercy, healing, peace and resurrection. The Psalmist reminds us that God, “preserved me from going down into the pit… You changed my mourning into dancing” (Ps 30: 2-13). If we want these things, we must turn to Him and entrust ourselves into His hands. Faith without trust isn’t faith at all. Trust isn’t trusting unless we entrust ourselves completely to God and rely on His integrity, ability and character. Genuine faith provides the impetus which thrusts us forward to risk entrusting ourselves to the Lord without fear. All this happens when we live in the supernatural with its power for good, and strong in its purpose of becoming holy. Do you have the kind of trust in Jesus that thrusts you into active Church membership? Just do it and enjoy the peace you’ll receive. (fr sean)

cassini · « **Reply #59 on:** July 03, 2024, 09:35:35 AM »

Fr Sean again.
There’s Strength in Weakness

How can a weakness be a strength? Aren’t weaknesses to be hidden? Are you comfortable admitting your flaws? Who likes going to confession? Even though we say we’re not perfect we’d all like to be seen as perfect. We’d all like to belong to Garrison Keillor’s fictitious town of Lake Woebegone, “Where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.” Of course there’s no such town or people. Alexis de Tocqueville, traveling in America in the 19th century, observed that the nation’s greatness came from the Biblical sermons proclaimed from her Christian churches’ pulpits. He identified rugged individualism as the nations’ greatest weakness. Why? Surely being a rugged individual is a positive trait? Who wants to be weak in the face of what Shakespeare calls “the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”? Rugged individualism is a weakness precisely because it refuses to admit weaknesses.

We don’t consciously seek to be weak. However, weakness is part of our makeup due to our fallen nature with its weakened will and darkened intellect. If you and I sat down to compare our strengths and weaknesses, I’ll guarantee that we will discover more weaknesses than strengths. None of us is firing on all cylinders. We’re all deficient in some way. So there’s no point in denying our deficiencies. We might as well identify and admit their existence. If you don’t name it, you can’t tame it. Weaknesses can be blessings. How? First of all, they destroy our illusions of self-sufficiency and force us to admit our need for others. Secondly, they make us realize that we must look to God for happiness rather than to material things. And thirdly, they make us realize that in our darkest moments only God can give us faith, hope and love to survive and thrive. Fourthly, it makes us humble. The Lord is our true Shepherd.

St. Paul is a great example of discovering strength in weakness. He turns a weakness in himself into strength. How? By admitting it to God and letting Him intervene. He describes his weakness as a “thorn in the flesh, an angel of Satan to beat me and keep me from getting proud” (2 Cor 12:7). Three times he asked God to remove this weakness. But God refused, saying, “My grace is enough for you, for in weakness power reaches perfection” (2 Cor 12:9). How can power reach perfection in weakness? Not your or my power, but God’s power. Our weaknesses become strengths when we use them to turn to God for His help. Jesus reminds us, “… apart from me you can do nothing” (Jn 15:5) Paul proclaims, “… for when I am powerless, it is then that I am strong” (2 Cor 12:10b). Paul, in his weakness, relies on Jesus and is able to be content with “weakness, mistreatment, with distress, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ” (2 Cor 12:10a). God didn’t take away Paul’s affliction. We don’t ask God to take away out weakness but rather to use it to let Him work His grace in our soul. Sadly, those who deny their weaknesses deprive themselves of God’s grace. Jesus alluded to this when He said, “A prophet is only despised in His own country among his own relations and in his own house” (Mk 6:4). Jesus “could work no miracle there” (Mk 6:5). Why? Because they refused to admit their need for Him. “He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mk 6:6). They heard Him but didn’t heed His teaching. Pride, arrogance, conceit, denial blinds us to our weaknesses that cause us to eventually stumble and fall on our face. It is one thing to be a fool and know it, but it is a whole other thing to be a fool and not know it or refuse to admit it.

Sadly, we waste our energy covering up our weaknesses that become exposed anyway. Instead of admitting our addictions, sinfulness, failures, tragedies, disappointments, flaws and using them to turn to Christ and His Church we allow them to turn us away from God’s grace. Then we become bitter, not better. In our trials we should pray, “As the eyes of a maid are on the hands of her mistress, so are our eyes on the Lord our God, till He have pity on us” (Ps 122: 2). We don’t have to fear, deny or be ashamed of our weaknesses. They can be turned into strengths. We can’t perfect ourselves but Jesus can and will if we let Him. The Church prays this Sunday, “In the abasement of Your Son You have raised up a fallen world … for on those You have rescued from slavery to sin You have bestowed eternal goodness.” Jesus was viewed as weak on the cross, but it was that weakness, turned over to God’s grace, that provided victory for His followers in His Resurrection. Jesus injects His Spirit into us when we turn to Him in our inadequacies. When we’re weak and vulnerable Jesus invites us to come to Him: “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls” (Mt 11:28-30). Just as He yoked Himself to His Father and in His weakness was able to pray, “You’re your hands I commend my spirit” (Lk 23:46) as He died on the cross, so by yoking yourself to Jesus as a faithful member of His Church you in your weak moments will be able to commit your spirit into His hands and He will refresh you. Thus in your weakness He makes you strong and with His strength you can do all things and overcome all things. That’s the power of the Christian faith. Do you believe that? (frsos)

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Author Topic: Forgive So We Can Live and Let Live (Read 1771293 times)

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