When he was at table with them, he took the bread. He blessed the bread, and broke it, and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him!(Luke 24:13-35)

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

Our lives are God’s gift to us, what we do with our lives is our gift to God.

O God, may Your love, if it be Your will, always impel our works, helping others to be drawn to You to praise Your goodness and generosity. Amen.

St. Paul tells us in his Letter to the Romans, after reminding us we’re all sinners, and that we are made to be free, not tied down by our sins: “[We] are justified freely by his [God’s] grace through the redemption in Christ Jesus.” (Rom 3:21-30)

Without the Lord, we don't have much, do we? But with the Lord, that's a whole different story. With the Lord, we have mercy (Psalm 130:7).  That's unmerited favor, that's something wonderful that we don't deserve and we haven't earned. But oh, how we need God's mercy! Without it, we're "goners," eternally speaking.

Not only that, but with the Lord, we have the "fullness of redemption." That's redemption to the nth, poured out lavishly to the very rim of our glass, filled to the quivering point of overflow, just like the water jugs at the wedding in Cana (Jn 2:1-11).  Jesus came to redeem us not just a little bit, not just halfway, but to the very brim. With faith in Jesus, we are completely, totally, fully redeemed. We can be sure of it.

We have reason to hope, because the mercy and fullness of redemption are ours with the Lord. We can count on it, just as the sentinels count on the dawn, even while they wait (Psalm 130:6).

So today is a good day to take a moment to reflect on the week thus far—where we’ve faltered, where we’ve witnessed to love.  And to ask for forgiveness where it’s needed, perhaps recognizing the powerfully freeing grace present in the Sacrament of Confession. And then dwell in God’s infinite love, knowing that that’s exactly where we were made to be. 

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