Sisters and brothers in Christ, can you imagine going before world leaders and peoples of nations telling them that they have sinned against God? What would their response be? Would they put on sackcloth, sit in ash, and fast like the king and Ninevites, as we heard in today's first reading from the Prophet Isaiah? Or would they just laugh and go about their business as usual?
Today's readings should give us know that, though we are sinners and have done sinful things against God (and each other), we are never far from God's love and mercy if we repent and return to our Father in heaven. God has done His part. Our Father in heaven sent His only Begotten Son to teach us, to heal us, to forgive us, to cleanse us, and to show us His merciful heart.
Moreover, the Church has given us saints over the centuries as models of holiness for us to follow. He did all this so that we can return to our heavenly Father and turn away from sin and temptation. Therefore, the ball is in our court because of God's gift of freewill to us. Through the Lenten observances of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, may we find our way back to our Father who loves us, with the help of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.
. . .
Gospel of the Day
While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
"This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here.
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here."
No comments:
Post a Comment