DEACON TOM ANTHONY

Sunday, September 25, 2011

Pastoral Letter 26th Sunday in Ordinary Time



Brothers & Sisters in Christ:

Children misbehave. That is one of the things that can be expected when interacting with or raising children: they won't always be perfect and they will make mistakes. It is through these errors and behaviors that children learn what boundaries, rules, and expectations are. Without the experience of making a mistake or doing something wrong, a child cannot grow and fully understand the reasons behind why he or she can or cannot do something. Learned experiences provide some the most valuable insight into a person and how they relate to others. Through the guidance of parents and mentors these experiences take on an even deeper meaning. By following guidelines set forth by them, a child formulates a structure to live by and gages what is truly right and wrong. Guided by a conscious and these lessons, the child develops and grows, hopefully shaping its personhood by all of these things mentioned.

This can be said about our own faith and relationship with God. We are His children and as Jesus himself said, to enter his kingdom one must become like a child. Our spirituality and relationship with God is constantly being shaped by the way we approach it. Through prayer, sacred scripture, and the Church we learn how to follow God's plan for us and what He wants us to do with our time on this earth. There is a certain way we are expected to act and functions to perform as Christians endowed with the gift of eternal salvation. We are asked to open our hearts to God and evangelize that same faith which has become an intricate part of our lives.

At the same time we must realize that we are not perfect and will fall short of God's expectations and our own: we came to Christ broken and in many ways will remain broken until we achieve perfection through Jesus Christ when we are finally reunited with him for eternity. Many times, like children, we will have an inclination to do wrong or will make mistakes created through our own ignorance or sinful nature.

Just as a child will act out in defiance to a parent and do something that it knows is "against the rules" so will we be tempted to do the same; many times regardless of the known consequences. This is a
regardles of Original Sin and our fallen nature. We will be tested and will at times fail that test.

When we do fail the test we must acknowledge our imperfections and ask for forgiveness through the only way that we can be made whole again: The Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through this wonderful Sacrament, we can reestablish our relationship with God. This is a true exemplification of His love for us that He offers us the chance of forgiveness by acknowledging what we did was wrong. All we need to do is come forward and recognize our mistake. If we do not do this, there is a great risk that not only the act itself, but the overwhelming guilt that accompanies it can become an impediment to the reception of God's love and our relationship with Him. It becomes a stumbling block.

Jesus ministered to those who needed him the most: the sinner, the downtrodden, and the forgotten. As they were lifted up, all of humanity was lifted up out of the darkness. To lift up an object from the ground, you must grab it from the bottom and that is exactly what Jesus did when he ministered to the neediest in society. And the first step when being ministered to is acknowledging the necessity that what is being spoken
C,being needs to be heard. Jesus Christ died for everyone. He loves everyone the same regardless of what was done in the past and what might happen in the future. He truly hopes that His love will influence us and strengthen us so as to live our entire lives obeying His words and acknowledging that love through actions which emulate it. Yet, there will be those times where that same love will be the only thing that will be able to rescue us, comfort us, and make us whole; especially when we have turned our backs on Him by sinning.

Jesus is not only there when times are good. He is also there when we need Him the most and that is when we can truly understand the Crucified Christ and what He did for us for one simple reason: We are His children and He loves us.         

Yours in Christ, Deacon Tom

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