Monday, March 3, 2014

A Lenten Reflection - 2014

“The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all my iniquities.”

There was an old holy man sitting on the banks of the Ganges meditating while worshippers bathed in the river to wash away their sins.  The old man noticed a scorpion struggling in the water trying to get to the shore.  As it floated closer to him it became snared in some reeds by the water’s edge.  The more it struggled, the more entangled it became, so the old man reached out to free the scorpion from its watery fate.  As he touched the creature – it began to sting his hand.  Despite the pain, he continued to free it; placing it on the shore.A young man nearby watching shouted to him, “Why do you risk such pain for such a useless and ugly creature?”The holy man replied, “Just because it is the nature of the scorpion to sting, why I should give up my nature to save?”

God’s love is all powerful: healing, reconciling, comforting, embracing, life-affirming, good and beautiful.  There is no sin we can devise or engage in that will separate us from God’s love.  His forgiveness is unending; His mercy boundless, His understanding infinite.  God is love (1 John 4:8) and He cannot deny Himself.  His nature is to love His children; desiring them to return to Him, calling them to His embrace, giving them all the good things they need, bring them into His Kingdom of Light to dwell with Him eternally.

“Who can separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.” Romans 8: 35, 37

Only we have the power to separate ourselves from the love of God!  As we turn our face away from Him we place ourselves out of His embrace; turning away from His forgiveness, mercy, understanding and all-encompassing love.  We should let nothing stand between us and God’s love.

Lent, a time for reflection and examination is our occasion to have an encounter with Jesus and the saving power of God.  Taking this opportunity to be reunited with Him through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are lifted up in His arms and embraced as a mother embraces her child. “(The confessional) is not a torture chamber where you will be raked over the coals,” but where we “renew the grace of (our) baptism,” (Pope Francis) experiencing the tender love of our adoring Father.

Go to confession and be reconciled with God, who is love.  Invite someone to join you to experience their own encounter with Jesus and His healing, saving, loving power. Prepare to celebrate Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and His Resurrection; conquering death, bringing us to life everlasting.

Peace,
Deacon Don Ron


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