By Martin MM, CSC –
Readings: Bar 1: 15 – 22; Lk 10: 13 – 16
Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi who is one of my favorite saints who influenced me. When I think of the life and legacy of St. Francis, the word impossibility comes to mind. He was rejected by many but at the end of his life, he brought millions of souls to turn towards God. Today Jesus too gives me an invitation to keep away my sinful ways and turn to him with a repentant heart to accept any rejection I face in the name of Jesus.
In the Gospel we see that during Jesus’ ministry he met with some amount of rejection and disbelief. Jesus condemned the lack of faith of the people even though he had performed great signs in their midst. He commented that the known sinful people of old would have turned their lives around if they had seen and heard all that Jesus was doing and saying.
I too feel and show my sympathy towards Jesus whenever I meditate upon his suffering and Stations of the Cross. But I fail to notice that I hurt Jesus everyday whenever I sin. It is never easy to be reminded that I fall short of what God expects of me. We all sin. We are all in need of God’s forgiveness.
Part of what it means to be a true believer in God is to realize who God is and who I am in God’s sight. I am a sinner in need of forgiveness. I require deliverance and pardon. As a mere human, I can never satisfy the wrong that I have done by any of my deeds. The One who has been rejected by my sinfulness is divine and therefore the only One Who can bring about a restoration of the relationship with God is also divine, that is God.
Today let us ask the God of mercy to show us his face and let his word speak to us and make our mouths speak for him. Let his life shine on us to make our life bloom for him by accepting every sort of rejection we face in proclaiming the kingdom of God.