Devotion for today: Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13

What wondrous love is this?

To prepare for Holy Week, let us take a look at a beautiful hymn which reminds us of the gift Christ gave us on the cross, of His wondrous love and mercy, and of the need for us to always sing to the Lord!

What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this that caused the Lord of bliss
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul,
To bear the dreadful curse for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down, sinking down,
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb, I will sing, I will sing;
To God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb Who is the great “I Am”;
While millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing;
While millions join the theme, I will sing.

And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on, I’ll sing on;
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing on.
And when from death I’m free, I’ll sing and joyful be;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on, I’ll sign on;
And through eternity, I’ll sing on. Words: At­trib­ut­ed to Al­ex­an­der Means.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DlkrSLLhlU

Devotion for today: Come back to me with all your hearts

I think it is interesting that so many misinformed people today love to mock the concept of sin as “good old fashioned Catholic guilt.” Although this language may get a laugh or two from an audience, it has nothing to do with reality. The Catholic Church did not create the concept of sin so it could hold people captive in fear and quaking, as I read in one article.  It is not for the purpose of perpetrating a lie that unless you feel horrible about yourself because of your wretchedness, you will never get to heaven. Nor did Jesus create the Sacrament of Reconciliation to introduce a new concept to the people of His time. We must always remember that Jesus was Jewish. He preached to Jewish people. He came as the Messiah the Jewish people longed for. His teachings were based on the teachings that all good Jews knew by heart, and the Old Testament is filled with the concept of sin and the need to turn away from it and come back to God. God has always wanted His people, all people, to acknowledge that sin exists, and that it keeps us from experiencing the fullness of His love. Let’s take a few minutes to look at just a few Old Testament verses where God, through his prophets and holy men and women, asks His people to “Come back with all your hearts.” As we continue our study of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, let us take time to get rid of pride which says there is no sin, and adopt an open and humble heart so that God can speak to us through His words, and heal us of our transgressions.

Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.

In the Old Testament sin is set forth as an act of disobedience (Genesis 2:16-17;3:11; Isaiah 1:2-4; Jeremiah 2:32); as an insult to God (Numbers 27:14); as something detested and punished by God (Genesis 3:14-19; Genesis 4:9-16); as injurious to the sinner (Tobit 12:10); to be expiated by penance (Psalm 1:19) http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/14004b.htm

Joel 2:12: "Even now," declares the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning."

Deuteronomy 4:29: But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul.

Jeremiah 4:1: "If you, Israel, will return, then return to me," declares the LORD. "If you put your detestable idols out of my sight and no longer go astray, as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your evil ways! Why will you die, people of Israel?

Daniel 9:3: So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.

Hosea 12:6:  But you must return to your God; maintain love and justice, and wait for your God always.

Prayer: Psalm 51:3-6, 12, 16, 19: “Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offence. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight that you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn…A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit….Rescue me from death, God, my saving God, that my tongue may praise your healing power…My sacrifice, God, is a broken spirit; God, do not spurn a broken, humbled heart”.

Devotion for today: One small fall, one step toward a higher degree of perfection

Whenever you feel guilty, even if it is because you have consciously committed a sin, a serious sin, something you have kept doing many times, never let the devil deceive you by allowing him to discourage you. My beloved, may every fall…always become for us a small step toward a higher degree of perfection.  Maximilian Kolbe.

I am reading a very challenging book entitled, “Unbound” by Neal Lozano. In it he takes the reader deep into his soul to pull out, by the roots, the source of the sins we habitually commit due to patterns of behavior we developed as events in our lives hurt or scared or scarred us. It is fascinating to rediscover the patterns which govern our adult lives. Why are we so addicted to gossip? Why do we live in fear of being discovered for the “frauds” we think we are? Why are we always feeling sorry for ourselves, or looking to be offended, or constantly battling anger, resentment, self-importance, desires for revenge, tendencies toward unforgiveness, or a need to control everyone in our lives? Well, I can only say the book has changed my life, but it isn’t easy. I have come to realize how special I am to God, how much He loves me, and how He really did have a dream for my life when He placed me in my mother’s womb. But life has had its way of changing my path and because of events which made me vulnerable to following ways which were not God’s ways, I changed my path from the one He formed for me to one that led me away from the profound reality of who I am. In truth, we have all done this to a degree. We can all say that we have trouble totally realizing the amazing love God has for us and tapping daily into that love. It is something we all crave, yet we shy away from claiming it. Maybe we don’t really believe in it; maybe we feel unworthy; maybe we never experienced unconditional love before. Well, it is never too late to start. The first way anyone can do this, besides reading this book, is to do some real soul searching and list those emotions and patterns of behavior that rule our lives and cause us to feel dark and sad rather than light and joyful. They are not from God, and like weeds in a garden, should be pulled out, confessed, and thrown away for good. God will fill the empty spaces with His love and grace and we will walk in the light of a new life. So, we will begin today to look at the very Catholic sacrament of Reconciliation. It is not at all what many people think, nor will you find any real understanding of it in the secular world. You will only discover its true value in the Word of God. We begin today by simple looking at a few Scripture passages, and the explanation of the sacrament found in the Catechism.

1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

Luke 6:37 Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church: 1422 "Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God's mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion."

1423 It is called the sacrament of conversion because it makes sacramentally present Jesus' call to conversion, the first step in returning to the Father from whom one has strayed by sin.

It is called the sacrament of Penance, since it consecrates the Christian sinner's personal and ecclesial steps of conversion, penance, and satisfaction. 1424 It is called the sacrament of confession, since the disclosure or confession of sins to a priest is an essential element of this sacrament. In a profound sense it is also a "confession" - acknowledgment and praise - of the holiness of God and of his mercy toward sinful man.

It is called the sacrament of forgiveness, since by the priest's sacramental absolution God grants the penitent "pardon and peace."

It is called the sacrament of Reconciliation, because it imparts to the sinner the life of God who reconciles: "Be reconciled to God." He who lives by God's merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord's call:  “Go; first be reconciled to your brother.”

Act of Hope: O my God, trusting in your promises and because you are faithful, powerful and merciful, I hope, through the merits of Jesus Christ, for the pardon of my sins, final perseverance and the blessed glory of heaven. Amen!