Repent and Believe the Good news

-
Jesus in today’s Gospel tells us to “Repent and Believe the Good News.” This message is not only a message for the time of Jesus but a message for us today. It is something that as Christians we are engaged with every day. In the office of the Church there is an opportunity at the end of the day to look back over the day and look at where maybe we need to change and do better. To examine our Conscience and try and do better the next day is something that we can all do. And then after doing that examination ask the Lord’s forgiveness. It may mean that we need to the next day or over the next week to go to Confession and have that wonderful sacrament of healing.

But the second phrase of what Jesus says is also something that we can do as well every day. “Believe the Good News.”

What is this Good News? This Good news is first of all that we are loved by God but also that he died for our Sins. When I mediate on this I often think about the Cross. Here is that Good news made manifest for all of the world to see. Jesus arms out stretched in love and embracing us all.

And what is our response to this call. We find this out in the second half of the Gospel. We have the call of the first disciples. Often though unlike the first disciples we don’t respond so readily. We have doubts we argue with God. I have learnt that something that I have struggled with is to give myself totally to God. We hold things back. We struggle and push against the call. But when you look at those first disciples it gives me great hope. Jesus called Sinners he called people like you and me. Jesus does not call perfection he calls us with all our issues and personality he uses us.


 And so we should try and dedicate our day to Christ every day and re affirm in us the Vocation that has been given to us by Jesus. Let’s pray that we can and will be able to do it.   

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Year of Service

-
Image
  This last weekend I was able to look back with friends at the wonderful year I had with the Vincentian Volunteers. Looking back I can see that there are many elements to this year that have remained always with me. These I can now see and after reflection have shaped my life since this most formative year. From this year I went on to train for the priesthood and became a priest. After 16 years I left ministry and now try my best to live my Christian values and life in the world. In a recent upgrade to my CV I realised that my whole adult life has been in some sort of service to others and usually to the most vulnerable and those on the fringes of society. From working in Top Shop to ministry to the Hospital to the work I now do in education. This all stems from this year I had with the community and putting Love in action. Yes I have made mistakes on the way and my human frailty has been evident but this life was never going to easy and straight forward.  When I look back on that yea
Read more

Easter

-
Image
  Over the last few years I have had major issues with the Catholic Church. I think that my issue is the authority of the Church and how many clergy, not all, use and abuse their power and class the laity as stupid idiots. I can say this as for 16 years I was a priest and caught up in the system. When you're in the middle of it you can't aways see what is going on around you. I could not see what the Church as a structure was doing to peoples lives. Until I was out I realised that the Church and Im talking about the Catholic Church here is full up of repressed men who are scared of change scared of themselves and scared of the laity. Those who speak out especially clergy who want significant change are laughed at by others and classed as trouble makers. This includes Pope Francis himself who wants change but sometimes can't get it because of what he has inherited. It is an issue that has gone on your centuries.  This does not allow for a healthy functioning Church. There ne
Read more

What have we learnt? Covid and the last year.

-
Image
Over the last year since the start of the Covid pandemic there has been much in the press about the affects on society. We have seen that there are many people who are anxious, feel alone and worried about the future. So I looked on the Internet for the Christian response to the Pandemic. I was not surprised to see that there were many articles to suggest that the Christian Church as a whole has failed in this time.  In the first Lockdown the Churches were asked to close and there was no public worship. As the infection rate went down the Churches could open for private prayer. In the recent lockdown many places of worship have remained open although the infection rate being a lot higher. I have maybe been a thorn in peoples sides by asking why. I even wrote to the Cardinal  to ask him why. I argued that they should be left shut because of the demographic that tend to go. I got a standard reply back. When I looked in newsletters I read many times about how to give your collection and t
Read more