"From the beginning of His public ministry, Jesus called the people to conversion: 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel' (Mk 1: 15). This call is an essential element in the proclamation of the good news. Not only is it addressed to those who do not know Christ and His gospel, but it continues to resound in the lives of Christians..." Robert Cardinal Sarah In this Sunday's gospel we hear about the start of the public mission and ministry of Christ: "Jesus began to preach and say, 'Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.'" (Mt 4: 17) The word "REPENT" is not popular today, for it calls each of us to examine our lives, acknowledge our sins, and change our way of thinking and living. We are called to live in conformity with Christ and the Gospel. Furthermore, Jesus calls us to Conversion not just once or on one occasion, but throughout our lives. To quote from Cardinal Sarah once more: "This ongoing conversion is the ceaseless work of the whole Church...' (as stated in Vatican II's Lumen gentium, 8) 'The Church... clasping sinners to her bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly the path of penance and renewal.'" Though the idea of Repentance may not be popular, genuine Renewal is NOT possible without Repentance. As Benedict XVI put it: "Conversion means swimming against the tide, where the 'tide' is the superficial lifestyle, inconsistent and deceptive, that often sweeps us along, overwhelms us and makes us slaves to evil or at any rate prisoners of moral mediocrity. With CONVERSION (emphasis added), on the other hand, we are aiming for the high standard of Christian living... to the living and personal Gospel with Jesus Christ. He is our final goal..." Too often today, even from within the Church, we are invited to embrace a "Moral Mediocrity" that is passed off as "updated' and 'progressive", but is uninspiring and unsatisfying! Though challenging, Genuine Renewal through repentance and the grace of God, liberates us from the chains of selfishness, pettiness, bigotry, arrogance, and dishonesty. As Christ calls us to repentance He also calls each of us, "Come with me!" (Mt 4: 19), just as He called Peter and Andrew, James and John. To accompany Christ is to change course. As we listen to the Gospel message, we become aware of the junk in our lives, the accumulated clutter of sin, and how we are called and empowered by Christ to live differently. As St. Paul puts it dramatically in Romans 6: 17 - 19: "But thanks be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, and, having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness... For just as you once presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves to righteousness leading to sanctification."As we continue through 2023, together let us Embrace the Grace of Repentance and Conversion to Christ. Using the Sacraments of Confession and Holy Eucharist, we can get rid of the dead weight of sin, abandon moral mediocrity, and continue onward and upward with Christ, on the journey to the Kingdom of God!
Fr. Francis P. Foley
Some Selections from Scripture and Quotes to Meditate this Week
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’" (Matthew 7: 15 - 23)
"And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus." (Ephesians 2: 1 - 7)
(Though the Christmas Season is complete, the poem below, by a 17th century Irish Franciscan, is beautiful and always inspiring.) Sussex Carol On Christmas night all Christians sing To hear the news the angels bring. News of great joy, news of great mirth, News of our merciful King's birth.
Then why should men on earth be so sad, Since our Redeemer made us glad, When from our sin he set us free, All for to gain our liberty?
When sin departs before His grace, Then life and health come in its place. Angels and men with joy may sing All for to see the new-born King.
All out of darkness we have light, Which made the angels sing this night: "Glory to God and peace to men, Now and for evermore, Amen!" (Fr. Luke Wadding, OFM +1657)
Welcome to Our Spiritual Guidance Page. Weekly messages and prayers from our Pastor, Fr. Francis Foley, along with poetry and quotes from the saints, will be posted here!