No one is ever very far away from God: He is not able to stop loving us.
« You will not be forgotten by me. I have swept away your transgressions like a cloud, and your sins like mist; return to me for I have redeemed you. » (Isaiah 44:21-22)
- Countless times in the Bible such words of love and forgiveness are addressed to us by the Lord. But it was not enough for him just to tell us that he loves us and that he wants, despite our sins, to give us life after death: God came himself. He is Jesus, the Son of the Father Almighty, who comes to live among us as an infant at Christmas. He himself tells us the parable of the Prodigal Son (who after living a life of sin returned to the house of his father who welcomed his son back with great joy and tenderness). And to show us that God is Mercy and Forgiveness, Jesus preferred to let himself be put to death rather than give us the image of a God of vengeance : « Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.» (Luke 23:34) The first person Jesus allowed into heaven was a sinner, a robber, whom, since then, we have called the good thief. He was the first!
- So if you judge yourself, if you cannot forgive yourself, you can go to meet Jesus in the priest. In the name to the Son of God, he has the power to forgive you : « we reassure our hearts before him whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts ». (1 John 3:19-20)
|
Personal Experience Four months ago, I had an abortion. It was terrible…. And I didn’t know who I could turn to: I was alone, I was seventeen, I didn’t know what to do… My mother encouraged me not to keep the child. Life didn’t have any sense for me anymore… Two months afterwards, there was a mission in our town and young people came to our school to tell about their experience of God. Our priests were there: we were able to go to confession if we wanted to. I didn’t dare to do this, but just as I got up to leave the room, I burst into tears. So a priest approached to speak with me. I explained to him what had happened to me. We prayed together and he proposed that I ask for God’s forgiveness. So I went to confession and immediately, I felt as though a heavy weight was lifted from me. I know many young people in a similar situation of distress, because of this mistake or some other one, and I want to tell them that it is never too late to ask the Lord for forgiveness. Entrust your trouble to him and you will be set free. I know now that my child is with God. I believe that he has forgiven me and that he prays for me.
|
Credits: www.ilestvivant.com –
Agreement 25/7/2023
with Emmanuel Community https://emmanuel.info/
