One of God's favorite subjects is repentance from sin. "I tell you, there will likewise be more joy in heaven over one repentant sinner than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent" (Lk 15:7). Any repentance from sin makes God happy since Jesus' blood will then not have been shed in vain.
No matter what we're talking about, Jesus will usually change the subject to repentance from sin. "You will look for Me, but you will die in your sins" (Jn 8:21). Since we don't like this talk, we'll also try to change the subject. Nevertheless, Jesus will repeat: "That is why I said you would die in your sins. You will surely die in your sins unless you come to believe that I AM" (Jn 8:24). We don't like a conversation about dying in our sins, so we keep on trying to change the subject. And so it goes – Jesus insisting on repentance from sin so that His death will not be in vain, and us stubbornly insisting to talk about anything else.
Jesus is not going to change, so if we're going to talk to Him, we've got to talk about the plank in our eye (Mt 7:3). Later we can talk about someone else's speck. Let's confess our sins and not change the subject.
| PRAYER: | Jesus, may I make a good Lenten Confession and be washed clean of sin by Your precious blood. |
| PROMISE: | "Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered." –Nm 21:9 |
| PRAISE: | Helen asked her friends to pray a novena for the discernment of her vocation. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College