The term horizon is often defined as where the earth and sky meet. This is actually an apparent horizon or sensible horizon because we see an apparent plane based on our observation point. If we are able to broaden our viewpoint and look beyond the present location we are standing at on the earth, say from the space shuttle, we could then experience a rational or celestial horizon: where the great circle of the celestial sphere whose plane passes through the center of the earth is parallel to the celestial horizon of a given position. Journeying deeper into space we could discuss event horizons, the boundaries marking the limits of black holes.

Before delving any deeper and getting lost in space, let’s return to earth and today’s Gospel where Jesus stated: “Pay attention to what I am telling you. The Son of Man is to be handed over to men” (Lk 9:44). What Jesus is doing with this statement is presenting the horizon of the cross, the place where heaven and earth meet, where the physical and the spiritual, where the finite and infinite meet. 

Many of Jesus’ followers were and still are confounded by the cross. As Paul wrote to the Church at Corinth: “For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Cor 22-23).

Paul echoes what Jesus was talking about in today’s Gospel and that was his imminent fate and our ultimate horizon, death. None of us will be able to avoid the result of our mortality. Jesus taught both through his words and in his death that to be truly free we need to be willing to lose our life to gain it. We have to face and walk through our deepest fears to grow. Our life is not lived until we give it away. 

I have come to experience that the more willing we are to face the reality of our own death, the less likely we are to take the time we have for granted, and the better we can live our lives here and now. The past four months with JoAnn were more experience of grace because we faced the reality that her time was near, we embraced the gift of the time we had together, and through the prayers of so many, we experienced the infinite presence of the love of God in our midst. A part of me died with her, yet something was also born anew that will take time to grow.

There is so much we can experience and enjoy through the world around us, but if we only limit ourselves to the merely empirical, only to that which we can experience with our physical senses, we limit ourselves. We are transcendental beings. We have a rational soul that allows us to encounter and experience a different plane of existence, that of the spiritual. What makes us fully human, alive, and fulfilled is an embrace of both the physical and the spiritual, an embrace of both faith and reason, the horizon where the finite and infinite meet, where heaven and earth are one. This union happens in Jesus Christ and those who die with him so to rise with him.

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Photo: by Josh Sorenson from Pexels

Link for today’s Mass readings for Saturday, September 28, 2019:

Jesus asked his disciples about who people said that he was and Peter, through the revelation of God answered, “the Christ of God” (Lk 9:20). Jesus then responded that “The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised” (Lk 9:22).

Jesus is indeed the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God. Yet, that meant many things to many people who were awaiting the coming of the Messiah. For most, they were hoping for a military leader to come to lead them and overthrow the Roman occupiers. As soon as Peter made his statement, Jesus clarified what kind of Messiah that he would be, a suffering servant.

The reality that the Messiah, Jesus, was the suffering servant, willing to give his life on the Cross for all of humanity and creation, is also true for all who have followed him and would walk the path following him today. If we seek to be a disciple of Jesus, our steps will also lead us to the Cross. We must be willing to be martyrs, witnesses of our faith, in our everyday experiences and encounters. This does not necessarily mean that we will give our life, but it does mean that we are to empty ourselves so as to be more available to the needs of others. 

Our discipleship will be ultimately expressed in love, in our willing the good of the other who is in need. We must resist the temptation to turn in on ourselves such that we embrace our ego, our anxiety, fear, prejudices, and biases. Instead, we are to keep our mind and heart open to the leading of the Holy Spirit who will reveal to us the ways, no matter how small, that we can love and serve.

We also need to resist seeking to conform God to our will and our image. Jesus calls us not to contract but to expand, to go out from ourselves to love God with our whole mind, heart, and strength and to love our neighbors as ourselves. This dying to self, to be crucified with Christ, is to be expressed in all aspects of our lives. We are not to be one way for one hour at Church on Sunday and the rest of our time live like Sunday never happened. We are to surrender ourselves to Jesus and be Jesus for others in every action, decision, and encounter we engage in. Christianity is not about compartmentalization, but it is about transformation and conformation to the Body of Christ!

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Photo: Rosarian Academy Auction some time ago. Keeping Jesus, the crucified Messiah, at the center of our lives helped us to grow in our love for God, each other and those he sent us to serve.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, September 27, 2019

“‘Who then is this about whom I hear such things?'” And he kept trying to see him” (Lk 9:9).

Herod Antipas, the ruler over Galilee and Perea, heard stories about Jesus. The range of his thoughts, expressed by Luke, is confusion to curiosity. Herod may have started to feel concern over the possibility of a growing revolt, some guilt for his execution of John the Baptist, or just curiosity to see what this man was all about and if this Jesus could accomplish even half of the things Herod had heard about him. One question that did not seem to cross Herod’s mind was if he had any interest in changing his life and becoming a follower of Jesus.

Herod was not the only one in Luke’s Gospel who asked questions about who this man Jesus was. Nor did the asking of those questions die with Jesus on the cross. They continued after his resurrection and ascension, they continued into the first centuries of the Church, which led to the calling of the first ecumenical councils which dealt directly with who Jesus was, and they continued in each following century and continue today. There are even at present in some academic circles, the question arising as to whether Jesus even existed at all. The answer to whether or who Jesus is matters.

One could ask why this question about Jesus persists? One answer is that we are finite beings seeking to understand an infinite Mystery. The full comprehension of the reality of Jesus existing as fully human and fully divine, dying on the cross, conquering death through his resurrection and ascending to the Father transcends even the wonderful intellect and ability to reason that we have been blessed with. Also, Jesus’ invitation is a universal but personal one. Each person as to encounter Jesus for her or himself.

Jesus called the Twelve, one by one as well as Mary Magdalene, St. Irenaeus, St Thomas Aquinas, St Francis and Clare of Assisi, St Catherine of Siena, St Teresa of Avila and St John of the Cross, St Ignatius, St Mother Teresa, Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and he calls each one of us as well. He did not call us to just merely embrace a new philosophy, a new ethical way of life, or even a new religion. Jesus called and calls us to be a part of his Body, the Mystical Body of Christ.

Who is Jesus, Herod asks in today’s Gospel? It is a good question for us to ask as well. For me, Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, who became incarnate, becoming one with us in our humanity so that we could become one with him in his divinity. This same Jesus who called others through the ages invites us to follow him today as well and he continues to walk this journey with us whether we say yes or no to his invitation. We are just aware of and receive more of his help when we say yes.

Life with Jesus isn’t perfect, and we will at times echo St Teresa of Avila, who stated after she was thrown from a carriage into a mud puddle, “If you treat your friends this way, it is no wonder you have so few.” But we will also experience moments of inexpressible joy, of wonder and exhilaration, and feel blessed when Jesus works through us and loves through us to be present for and help others. 

The question of why JoAnn died has come up off and on over the past few weeks, though I do not entertain it so much. I am not sure that in this life the answer would be sufficient anyway. I will certainly have a sit down with Jesus when he calls me home and we can discuss it then with more perspective.

I have been focusing more on seeking what JoAnn and Jesus want me to do now. An answer that came very clear to me Tuesday when I rolled my ankle pretty good on the way to noon Mass, which for now to rest. There is a lot of work to do, but I need to heal and renew, prepare and get ready before continuing on. While I do so, I feel they both are guiding me to continue writing this daily reflection each day, so I will.

Who is Jesus to you and what is he inviting you to do?

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Not only have there been questions about who Jesus is, but there have also been many pictorial representations of Jesus. Here is a 6th-century icon of Jesus.

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 26, 2019

“Jesus summoned the Twelve and gave them power and authority” (Lk 9:1).

Jesus summons us as he did the Twelve and empowers us for ministry in his name. The expression of our service is unique to each of us. Many resist exploring or entering into a deeper commitment to their faith because they are anxious or afraid that God may call us to something that we would never want to do, or that we couldn’t conceive we are capable of. Initially, there may be some trepidation if we are clear of the direction God wants us to move in, but that may come more from our hesitancy to change and move out from our comfort zone. Ultimately, God wants for us what we want for ourselves; to live a life of fulfillment, joy, and meaning.

God knows what and with whom we will experience fulfillment. The challenge for us is to come to know this for ourselves as well. The work of discipleship begins by accepting the invitation of God to walk with him and trust that he knows what he is doing! No matter what our age, we are never too young or too old to begin or recommit to the journey along the path of discipleship. One good practice is to reflect on our dreams and desires, bring them to God in prayer, and imagine ourselves embracing what we desire.

When I first joined the Franciscans to study for the priesthood in the early ’90s, I would imagine from time to time my ordination day, especially in our second year as we were thinking about taking temporary vows. When I did so, a puzzling result consistently arose. I did not imagine feeling any excitement or joy. So, a year and a half into formation, I decided to take a leave of absence. I had asked to take off a year, but the minimum time for a leave of absence was two.

Though I balked at first about the two-year time frame required, I came to respect the wisdom of my formation director. It was in my second year away, that I realized that my vocational path was leading me to the Sacrament of Matrimony and not Holy Orders. About eighteen months after I made that decision I met JoAnn. As our relationship grew and we began to talk about marriage, whenever I envisioned our wedding day I felt excitement and joy. Each year together has been better than the one before. Though JoAnn left this life far too soon, knowing what I know now after twenty-three years of marriage this past May, I would ask her to marry me all over again!

God has a plan for each and every one of us, he knows what will fulfill us, and he loves us more than we can ever imagine. When we ponder our dreams and desires, and as we investigate, research, explore potential outcomes and continue to pray and discern each step, we will come to see that as we align ourselves with God’s will that makes all the difference. We are not alone in this process and we have a God who can see the full picture, where we see only a small part.

There will be fits and starts, missteps and slips, doubts as well as confirmations, and desolations as well as consolations. The key through it all, is to remain faithful, to continue to trust in Jesus who called us. He will continue to accompany us along the way, he will give us the resources and strength we need, and he will send the Holy Spirit to empower and transform our lives. We need to remember that this process is not just for ourselves alone. We are transformed by the gift of God’s love to go out and share the invitation we said yes to with others.

Photo: Following God’s discernment led me to JoAnn, family, and puppies! Picture from Christmas about 2002.

Link for Mass readings for Wednesday, September 25

He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it” (Luke 8:21).

There are many popular genetic testing kits that are advertised on TV and through the internet. People have asked me is it possible to be a blood relation to Jesus. Jesus’ reply today can help you to save some money. What is important is not a blood relation with Jesus, but for “those who hear the word of God and act upon it.” God is to be first, even before family. We may experience a subtle shudder from this statement, but to those of Jesus’ time, it would have been apoplectic. Family meant everything in the Ancient Near East.

Jesus is not making the point that we disregard family but he is teaching us that if we are to be authentically present to our family this will come about best by following the will of God. As we deepen our relationship with Jesus and put his teachings into action, we begin to bear the relational fruits of the Spirit. Would not our familial relationships be much better if we were more loving, joyful, peaceful, patient, kind, generous, faithful, gentle and practiced self-control? Jesus taught and showed from his own life that the path to fulfilling and intimate relationships flourish when we put God first because as we grow closer in relationship with him we also do so with those around us.

Another point we can glean from Jesus’ response in today’s Gospel is that our “family” is to transcend bloodline, tribe, and nation. Any of “those who hear the word of God and act upon it” is spiritually akin to Jesus the Christ. The point is not that we may have a genetic, lineal relation with Jesus, but that when we live and act according to his Father’s will, we are part of the universal family of God’s grace and mercy and our relationship with him and one another grows as we continue to bear the fruits of the Spirit. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we can act with more caring and kindness, seek common ground through dialogue, be more willing to walk and accompany one another and seek to understand not to judge those who are different. The bottom line is that we are to love one another as Jesus loves us!

I have been blessed to experience the fruits of this teaching first hand. As I have grown closer to Jesus, I have not only grown closer in relationship with my immediate family but have also been blessed with a larger extended family through the communities of St. Peter Catholic Church, the Diocese of Palm Beach, Rosarian Academy, and Cardinal Newman High School. So many of whom JoAnn and I have been so grateful for in their outpouring of love, prayer, and support through JoAnn’s illness and most recent death three weeks ago.

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Photo: Together with my sisters in Christ at CN after our last morning liturgy before I prepared to leave to be with JoAnn in California.

Link for the Mass reading for Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Jesus said to the crowd: “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light” (Luke 8:16).

God blesses us freely without cost, he gives himself to us. He has done great things for us and he is the source of our joy! We do not earn nor is there anything that we can do to gain God’s grace. But we can lose the gift we have been given. This happens either by refusing what has been offered, or once accepting and receiving, not doing anything with our gift. If we are people of faith in name only, but not followed by action, we are concealing the light we have been given.

Since our Golden Retrievers have passed away, the walking I had done with them has been almost non-existent. Premature aging of my heart, weight gain, lower back and body ache, as well as a series of pulled muscles over the course of last year, were all subtle hints that my lack of attention to exercise was exacting a cost on my health. This past week, I started to stretch daily again and plan to begin to implement a series of exercises that can help to turn this situation around. It is amazing that I can feel aches from just walking a few miles over the past few days.

The same can be said for our faith. If we do not exercise our faith, we will receive signs of spiritual atrophy. To not even acknowledge the presence of God in our life, the free gift of his invitation to be in a relationship with him, we will experience limitations in our lives. For whether we believe in God or not, we hunger to be in communion with him and one another, so we will be looking for other apparent avenues of happiness that will fall short of fulfilling us. If we do accept that there is a God, yet don’t participate in worship, fellowship, service, and prayer, we are not much better off. I can believe that my car will get me to where I want to go, but if I do not put the key in the ignition, turn on the engine, put the car in drive, I will remain stationary.

If we claim to be people of faith, we need to put our faith into action. That means daily we need to spend time in prayer, reading the Bible, studying our faith through spiritual reading, CDs, DVDs (I at first wrote cassettes and videotapes!) and/or podcasts. We need to consistently participate in worship, the sacraments, and be engaged in service to one another. As we do so, we will begin to reflect Jesus to others and so be able to see God at work in our everyday experiences and better collaborate with him in all we do. In allowing the light of Jesus to shine through us, we also need to resist the tendency to privatize our faith, while at the same time resisting getting in someone’s face. Instead, we need to be present, caring, understanding, supportive, and willing to accompany one another, even others of no or different faith traditions.

Jesus has given his life for us, and he continues to be present to us. May we be open to being conformed today and each day by his love and mercy. We do so by consciously turning away the temptations of sloth, indifference, prejudice, and fear, and instead seek to encounter one another and build relationships. Jesus is willing to enter the chaos of our lives. May we too be willing to do the same for one another by seeking in each interaction to radiate the presence of Christ’s light, so to shine with actions of patience, understanding, support, joy, and hospitality in such a way that anytime we come together, God happens.

hoto by Gursharndeep Singh from Pexels

Link for the readings for Monday, September 23, 2019

“A rich man had a steward” (Lk 16:1). So begins Jesus telling his parable of the dishonest steward. Very simply a steward is someone placed in charge of overseeing something. In this parable, the steward was placed in charge of overseeing the rich man’s affairs. The point of Jesus in this parable is that we are to be stewards given the task to oversee God’s affairs.

To be successful stewards we must remember who we are. The steward in the parable squandered the property of his master. He was not adequately fulfilling the charge he was given. Most likely because he was serving himself and his own needs instead of those of his master and as Jesus would later state, “No servant can serve two masters” (Lk 16:13).

For us to be good stewards, we must agree with the foundational principle that God is God and we are not. Maybe a pithy statement but if we don’t get this point right from the start we are going to be in trouble. That is exactly the misstep with Adam and Eve. They were tempted and fell when they grasped at what God freely had given. Instead of excepting the gift of their humanity, their role as stewards, they sought to define their own path, they put themselves in the place of the master, instead of the steward, and there can only be one master and that is God.

When we place ourselves in the role of the master in the sense of being our own God or forcing God, from our perspective to fit into our image, then we have problems. We can see the effects of this fallen reality on full display in our world today. The reason why Jesus never sinned was that he never forgot who he was. Jesus is the steward we are called to be. His mind and heart are open to following the will of God. “Though he was in the form of God, Jesus did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, being born in the likeness of men” (Philippians 2:6-7).

Jesus, though he was divine, did not grasp at his divinity, but embraced the gift of being human and that meant he was willing to be the steward and not the master, most profoundly so in the Garden of Gethsemane when he asked that the cup of his death be taken away from him, yet he was willing to submit to the will of his Father.

Being the steward and not the master is not an easy place for us to be because so many of us are not willing to relinquish control. When we give up control though and turn it over to God we can feel safe in the assurance that God has our best interest in mind. St. Mother Teresa put it best when she sought just to be a pencil in God’s hand.

What helped JoAnn and me through the journey of the cross that she carried with the cancer was that we let go of the outcome. We were open to a miracle, we sought the aid of doctors and specialists, but we were also open to the reality that this was her time. This did not make the path any easier, nothing about this cancer was easy, but through the midst of it, we felt the peace of God a greater majority of the time.

This is a helpful reminder to me that there is a place for sorrow in JoAnn’s death, but there is a greater place for joy in her victory over death claimed for her by Jesus. As I was charged with JoAnn’s care, so to do I need to continue to be a pencil in God’s hand each day. We need to continue forward, as JoAnn is doing now in a more profound way, as his stewards because there is only one master, who is God, and there is much work still to be done and the laborers are few.

Photo: Christmas a few years back

Link for the Mass readings for Sunday, September 22, 2019

“While he was at table in his house, many tax collectors and sinners came and sat with Jesus and his disciples” (MT 9:10).

We as the Church, we as followers of Jesus, still have much to learn from Jesus. Today’s reading provides another wonderful example. Once Jesus begins his public ministry he is constantly on the go. Going to where? Meeting people where they were, in the midst of their daily lives as he did with Matthew in today’s Gospel reading. And what is the response to Jesus calling Matthew, a tax collector, and then partaking in table fellowship with other tax collectors and sinners? The Pharisees question the disciples about his practice and curious onlookers follow at a distance. But to those who have, maybe for the first time in their lives, been respected as fellow human beings, feel hope. A hope that there actually may be a path leading in from the peripheries. A hope that they no longer have to be on the outside looking in. A hope that they, for the first time in their lives might finally belong.

Jesus is shown time and again encountering the person as they are in their present circumstances and the chaos of their lives. He welcomes, is present to, and embraces the person as they are. He invites people to be part of something greater than their self, to actualize their potential and embrace a life of meaning and purpose. The only requirement is to be willing to be loved, to be willing to be human, to be willing to be free, and once experiencing this encounter, willing to share what they have received with others.

Do we: deny or mask our own fears, stoke our own pride believing that we can take care of ourselves without the help of anyone else, seek false truths and the glittering lures of power, wealth, pleasure, and honor for our security and satisfaction, that in the end leave us empty, attached, and/or addicted? Or are we willing: to have the humility to recognize our sinfulness, our need for Jesus and receive his love, so to let go of our bondage to false illusions of security, and realize that we are, at the deepest core of our being, a living, craving hunger and desire to be loved by God and others, so to love in return?

If we are willing to risk, to be vulnerable, to open our heart to Jesus we will experience the love, fulfillment, and belonging we seek in the very depths of our soul. This is the fulfillment that no other pursuit or person can bring. We do this best as Jesus did, by being willing to enter into the lives of others, by resisting judgment and accepting another as they are for who they are, by being present and willing to accompany our fellow brothers and sisters. For as Jesus said, “I desire mercy, not sacrifice” (Mt 12:7). Mercy, as I have quoted Fr. James Keenan, S.J. before, “is the willingness to enter into the chaos of another.” Jesus is willing to do so for us. Are we willing to be loved by him, to be called by Jesus like Matthew, so we can love others in the midst of their chaos as well?

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Painting: The Calling of St. Matthew, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1600

Link for the Mass readings for Saturday, September 21, 2019

Accompanying him were the Twelve and some women (Lk 8:1-2).

A simple statement to be sure, but very significant in how Jesus again is showing us how to live our lives as followers, disciples of him. Jesus, as I have written many times, is fully human and fully divine. What he has done and is doing as the Son of God incarnate is to draw close to us in our humanity, as a human being, so that we can enter into a relationship with him and his Father through the love of the Holy Spirit, thus becoming one with him in his divinity.

From the beginning of his public ministry and throughout, he is inviting people to participate in his life and the kingdom of Heaven which is at hand in his very presence. Time and time again Jesus does so by building relationships with people. This is how Luke can write the verses that Jesus was accompanied by the Twelve and Mary Magdelene, Joanna, and Susanna. These were real people and real relationships he developed.

Jesus invited people to experience and build a relationship with him. Christianity is not a Lone Ranger religion, it is not the survival of the fittest, and Jesus did not teach that we have to pull ourselves up by our own bootstraps. We are created by God to be in communion, to be in a relationship with him and one another, and that means we need to accompany and empower each other.

We are to go out, encounter, and get to know one another by making time for each other, and hearing the stories of our tragedies and our triumphs. It means resisting the temptation of withdrawing into our own bubbles and taking the risk to be vulnerable with one another. Relationships are messy, but they just fall apart when we decide to go it alone.

JoAnn and I experienced this gift of fellowship in a powerful way over the past two and a half years when we became a part of a small group at our Church. The eight of us met weekly, learned about our faith, yes, but more importantly built relationships by being willing to encounter and respect each other even when we disagreed, and share the stories, the good, bad and the ugly, of our lives. We forged such a bond that when JoAnn and I were planning her funeral, we each agreed without hesitation that each one of the members of our group would play a significant and intimate part in her funeral Mass.

Being willing to encounter, accompany, risk, and forge relationships grounded in respect and love for Jesus and one another, where no person is left behind, is what our faith is all about.

Photo: Our small group getting together last year to celebrate two years of fellowship.

Link for the Mass readings for Friday, September 20, 2019

Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind him at his feet weeping and began to bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment (Lk 7:37-38).

Logistically, to our modern minds, the setting of this verse may appear to be confusing. How could this “sinful” woman be standing behind Jesus such that her tears would fall on his feet? This could be confusing to us because when we think or imagine someone sitting and eating, they do so by sitting in a chair. Thus the feet would be toward the front of the person.

During the time period Jesus lived, the customary practice when eating was not to sit at all but to recline. Thus, the woman was standing behind the feet of Jesus as he reclined, and her tears fell on his feet. She then knelt down, dried his feet with her hair, and then anointed Jesus’ feet with the ointment she brought for him.

Today’s Gospel account is a simple but powerful scene of contrition. This is the posture we are to approach Jesus when we have sinned. We are not to rationalize, deny, ignore, or come grudgingly forward when we are caught and held accountable for our sin. We are to feel true contrition or sorrow for the sins we have committed because the healing presence of Jesus leads us to a place of compassion and understanding for the hurt we have caused others through our sinful actions.

Unfortunately, there are too many leaders in the secular as well as the church who assume the posture of Simon the Pharisee in this account. They puff up their chests in righteous indignation over the sins of others, while not being transparent and forthcoming with their own sinful choices and behavior. Using instead their means of power, prestige, and places of honor, not to serve and empower others, but to hide and protect themselves from being held accountable, and/or justifying and rationalizing their own weaknesses and vices.

In so doing though, they are not aware of the depth of their own sin and thus to “the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little” (Lk 7:47). One is not forgiven because God is not willing to forgive, but because he will not go against our free will. If we are unaware or unwilling to bring our sins forward in a contrite manner, we are cutting ourselves off from the healing forgiveness of God. But if we, like the woman in today’s Gospel account, are willing to bear our soul with humility and sorrow we will not only be forgiven but experience a deeper outpouring of God’s love. The one who confesses contritely more is forgiven more and thus is able to love more.

Would that each of us really grasped this gift of grace that God offers us. What if instead of hiding from, being in denial of, rationalizing, or justifying our sin, we embraced it and sought the healing forgiveness of Jesus. In opening up our hearts and minds to the forgiving and purifying love of the Holy Spirit there is a pain, as there is in any healing, but also freedom, when we are able to do as the woman in the Gospel did today. When we trust Jesus as she did with our deepest and darkest sins, we too can be healed so to be freed of the shackles that bind us and to love as we have been loved. God loves us more than our worst mistakes, but we can only know that when we confess and are forgiven of them.

Photo: accessed online

Link for the Mass readings for Thursday, September 19, 2019