BEADS OF JOY 07-12-16
“We Must Repent”
©2016 James Dacey, Jr. OFS
My Friends,
Today’s
Gospel: Matthew 11:20-24 (We Must Repent)
“Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
“Then he began to upbraid the cities where most of his mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. "Woe to you, Chorazin! woe to you, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I tell you, it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for Tyre and Sidon than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be exalted to heaven? You shall be brought down to Hades. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I tell you that it shall be more tolerable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom than for you."
Reflection:
Here is an insightful tough question: Can Jesus enter into your life right now at any moment and would be pleased with what He finds? We are all sinners, God knows this. But do we intentionally knowingly live sinful lives? Are we part of groups or clubs whose central focus is some addiction that is sinful? Do we have habits that are purely sinful? Are we so numb by our own sin that we have accepted it as normal and don’t even consider it sin anymore and now we look at it the way the world wants us to; “We’re not hurting anybody?” …of cause we are, we are hurting ourselves. Keeping our Spirit and our Life “Clean & Pure” is part of our experience of being a good Catholic; always being prepared to stand before Jesus, always preparing for Heaven. That is why we have the sacrament of Penance. So that we can constantly cleanse ourselves spiritually.
Here is an insightful tough question: Can Jesus enter into your life right now at any moment and would be pleased with what He finds? We are all sinners, God knows this. But do we intentionally knowingly live sinful lives? Are we part of groups or clubs whose central focus is some addiction that is sinful? Do we have habits that are purely sinful? Are we so numb by our own sin that we have accepted it as normal and don’t even consider it sin anymore and now we look at it the way the world wants us to; “We’re not hurting anybody?” …of cause we are, we are hurting ourselves. Keeping our Spirit and our Life “Clean & Pure” is part of our experience of being a good Catholic; always being prepared to stand before Jesus, always preparing for Heaven. That is why we have the sacrament of Penance. So that we can constantly cleanse ourselves spiritually.
Do you own a car or even better,
do you wear clothes? What do you do when they get dirty, do you wash them? Why?
Oh, that’s right, it’s so they are clean again and they don’t stink and wreak
of filth. Exactly. It’s the same with our Spiritual lives. By repenting we “Clean/Cleanse”
our Soul so that it doesn’t stink and wreak of SIN before our Lord. Today let
us consider the treasure we have in sacrament of Penance (aka Confession) and
do all we can to at least embrace it once a month. I think that is reasonable.
Most people wash their clothes weekly; I think washing and cleansing our soul
monthly is fair. I gain nothing by making this suggestion. It’s all for you to
be better prepared for our Lord and Heaven.
See what the saints have to say
about this:
“Three conditions are
necessary for Penance: contrition, which is sorrow for sin, together with a
purpose of amendment; confession of sins without any omission; and satisfaction
by means of good works.” ~St. Thomas Aquinas
“Confession heals,
confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin, all hope consists in
confession; in confession there is a chance for mercy.” ~St. Isidore of
Seville
LOVE YOU GUYS !!!!
Your brother in Christ Jesus
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
And His Most Blessed Mother,
Jim (The Rosary Man) Dacey Jr OFS
