God Wants to Forgive and Heal
Jesus preached to the people, asking them to repent, just as the Ninevites had done, saying, "They turned from their sins when they heard Jonah preach." - Luke 11:32
Our Lenten observances of prayer, fasting, and concern for those in need call us to radical conversion and trust in God's mercy. These practices disclose our sinful tendencies, and uncover areas of unfreedom and attachments that often lead us to sin. We realize our inner conflict like Saint Paul: "I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate." (Rom 7:16). We come to the limit of our creaturehood: we cannot save ourselves.
Such realization takes us to the threshold of God's unbounded mercy and love. We meet the God of Jesus who has no room for hatred, desire for revenge, or pleasure in seeing us punished. God wants to forgive, heal, restore, show us endless mercy, and see us come home. Like the father in the "Prodigal Son" parable who lets both of his sons make their own decisions, God gives us the freedom to choose or refuse divine love. God waits. Yet, God will go more than half way to meet us upon our return. God accepts our wandering hearts yet continually chooses to forgive, heal, and embrace completely. This is our homecoming. This is our Good News.
"In what area of my life might I long for yet resist a deeper conversion of heart and return to God?"
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