The Joy of Being Forgiven
From the Desk of Father David
Dear Friends in Christ,
Last week’s gospel opened with the phrase “they were all filled with expectations.” The verses preceding this passage tells us that the people were publicly confessing their sins.
The joy of being forgiven fills them with expectations of great things to come. Perfectionism robs us of joy. Instead of seeing our short comings as our need for God’s forgiveness and our need to work together, we blame ourselves for not being perfect. God did not make us perfect, and we cannot do everything. What God asks of us is to do our best in being compassionate, kind, loving and have a willingness to work together.
As Jesus was praying after His baptism, the Holy Spit came upon Him and the voice of God proclaimed Him His Beloved Son. Following this great event, Jesus must go out into the desert to wrestle with the meaning of this encounter and to be tempted by the devil. We too are called to stop and wrestle with life’s experiences with the light of Christ. This is done by asking the Holy Spirit for guidance, reflecting on the experience, bringing to the prayer Gospel values and ending with a conversation with God.
With families going through difficult times, I ask you to remember them frequently in your prayers. You might want to use this prayer.
Prayer for Peace in the Family
Lord Jesus, my family needs Your help today. We need your peace and tranquility, an end to discord. Give us strength and compassion to understand each other, wisdom and love to help each other, and the trust and patience we need to live peacefully together. Grant that, through the intercession oof Your mother, Mary, and St. Joseph, our family too may become a holy family, a family that embraces peace and love, a family whose members are dedicated to each other and to You. Amen.
May God the head of all families enable us to respect and be compassionate toward each other. May forgiveness flow from our community out to all those we meet and may Jesus send forth His healing power through the intercession of the Fourteen Holy Helpers.
In God’s love,
Fr. David
