In today’s Gospel we hear Jesus
sending out the Twelve Apostles in pairs, to spread the Good News of Jesus by
preaching to people of repentance. Why did Jesus tell the Apostles to preach
about repentance? Isn’t sin a personal matter? Isn’t sin none of their (or our
business)?
Yes and no. We should never
judge other people, that is not our calling nor can we do so effectively since
we don’t know each person’s heart. Yet, we believe, as St. Paul said, that all have fallen short of the glory of God and that each
of us is called by God to become a more perfect person, a better version of
ourselves and to help others become better too (this is the goal of friendship
and marriage). Personal growth is a lifelong process that involves humility,
regular self-reflection and prayer, connection to a community, and most
importantly, a desire to be better. Remember: God is longing to forgive us and heal us if we let Him.
Many people mistakenly
think that they are good enough or at least aren’t that bad and so they don’t feel the need to reflect on what they
have done wrong, go to church or participate in the Sacrament of
Reconciliation. Yet if we fail to be a people of conversion and reconciliation in
our own hearts we will never achieve the peace and wholeness that God created
us for, we will always be holding something back. If we never seek forgiveness
or try to be better people then we will never effectively be able to create a
more peaceful and loving family life or community or a more peaceful world.
The starting place for
prayer and right-relationship with God and others begins with saying “i’m
sorry”. Recognizing ourselves as sinners as people who sometimes miss the mark is
not a product of Catholic guilt but an unbloated and clear reflection of who we
really are. We need others to help us see more clearly and to remind us of who
God created us to be; we need a community/faith-family, a church. This is why we gather
weekly in the Eucharist and begin by praying together I confess to Almighty God and to you my brothers and sisters that I
have greatly sinned. This is our moment to really take an inventory of our
week. Only when name and let go of our brokenness and sin together can we ever
be in communion, in right-relationship, with God and one another.
Questions for Reflection and
Discussion
-How do I spread the good news
of Jesus?
-When do I reflect on my day,
set personal goals for my life and examine how I am living?
-Who are the people that God is
calling me to ask forgiveness from?
-Who are the people that God is
calling me to forgive?
-When was the last time I went
to the Sacrament of Reconciliation?
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