Just like many of my sisters and brothers in Christ, I too can testify to the mercy and love of our Lord Jesus Christ. For when I went my own way, did my own thing refusing to listen, He the Lord waited patiently. I wanted to and thought I was living life to the fullest! Wine, women, song and travel…. Nothing came close, nothing was enough, there had to be more. How? Where?
Our blessed Mother would time to time whisper in my ear, “As you have prayed, I will never let you lose Your God.” She brought me to Lourdes where I experienced God’s amazing love through the Sacrament of reconciliation. Then further experiencing the loving unity of our universal church community and the gentle embrace of our blessed Mother Mary.
After a relatively short time the ways of the world caught up with me for I was not grounded in prayer or the Word. Still our Lord loved me and called out to me. But I was not ready to listen till I had kids of my own. I decided to surrender to His grace for I was getting no where on my own. I was tired of going around in circles.
Through His mercy and love I was transformed. I have now finally experienced what it means to live life to the full. Not through selfish means and ways but through giving fully of oneself. To Him who loves us and to my sisters and brothers. His peace, joy and love is upon me. I share it now with you……
Glory be to the Father and the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and forever… Amen
First reading
1 Timothy 1:15-17
Here is a saying that you can rely on and nobody should doubt: that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. I myself am the greatest of them; and if mercy has been shown to me, it is because Jesus Christ meant to make me the greatest evidence of his inexhaustible patience for all the other people who would later have to trust in him to come to eternal life. To the eternal King, the undying, invisible and only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Gospel
Luke 6:43-49
Jesus said to his disciples:
‘There is no sound tree that produces rotten fruit, nor again a rotten tree that produces sound fruit. For every tree can be told by its own fruit: people do not pick figs from thorns, nor gather grapes from brambles. A good man draws what is good from the store of goodness in his heart; a bad man draws what is bad from the store of badness. For a man’s words flow out of what fills his heart.
‘Why do you call me, “Lord, Lord” and not do what I say?
‘Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and acts on them – I will show you what he is like. He is like the man who when he built his house dug, and dug deep, and laid the foundations on rock; when the river was in flood it bore down on that house but could not shake it, it was so well built. But the one who listens and does nothing is like the man who built his house on soil, with no foundations: as soon as the river bore down on it, it collapsed; and what a ruin that house became!’
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