Reconcile with God…
December 4, 2020
St. John Damascene
Dear Family of Mary!
Therefore, little children, work on yourselves…Work on and build peace through the Sacrament of Confession. Reconcile with God, little children, and you will see miracles around you…” (11/25/202)
Recently, I have been having unusual moments during the night when I will awaken to a significant memory. It seems I am being given a grace to look back one more time at some of my past sins. I always feel the enormity of those transgressions, but I also feel a certain honesty in the memory. It is as if I am being given different eyes with which to see myself. These eyes are very honest. There is no trying to shift blame or excuse myself. There is no strong emotion that would distract me from the evidence. It is a sober moment in which I can just evaluate my behavior honestly and admit my guilt.
I have taken all these sins to confession. But there seems to be a deeper work going on. A work of owning up completely to my sins. And once I admit them to myself without equivocation, I feel a flood of love from Jesus, who is usually nearby, waiting. I feel so much love being poured out upon me. I feel peace.
So, when I read the message for November 25, I immediately recognized in these words the grace I have been experiencing in the night. Jesus is helping me to reconcile with Him. And peace is being built within me. I can then take these sins to confession one more time, with complete peace, knowing I will be totally free of them.
Several of our shipmates have been sharing similar experiences. We all feel that we are being given a great grace, almost an illumination of conscience, in that we see ourselves in the light of God’s love, with no grey areas. We see as we are and are given contrition!!
Well, in the Breviary, the Second Psalm for Evening Prayer (Psalm 32) for Thursday, December 3, expresses very much what I am experiencing. We might pray it with all our hearts and thank the Lord for giving us the grace of forgiveness and reconciliation. He is our hope, as we face own our pasts and face our futures.
Antiphon: The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.
Psalm 32
They are happy whose sins are forgiven
David speaks of the happiness of the man who is holy in God’s eyes not because of his own worth, but because God has justified him (Romans 4:6).
Happy the man whose offense is forgiven,
whose sin is remitted.
O happy the man to whom the Lord †
imputes no guilt,
in whose spirit is no guile.
I kept it secret and my frame was wasted.
I groaned all the day long
for night and day your hand
was heavy upon me.
Indeed, my strength was dried up
as by the summer’s heat.
But now I have acknowledged my sins;
my guilt I did not hide.
I said: “I will confess
my offense to the Lord.”
And you, Lord, have forgiven *
the guilt of my sin.
So let every good man pray to you
in the time of need.
The floods of water may reach high
but him they shall not reach.
You are my hiding place, O Lord;
you save me from distress.
You surround me with cries of deliverance.
I will instruct you and teach you
the way you should go;
I will give you counsel
with my eye upon you.
Be not like horse and mule, unintelligent,
needing bridle and bit,
else they will not approach you.
Many sorrows has the wicked
but he who trusts in the Lord,
loving mercy surrounds him.
Rejoice, rejoice in the Lord,
exult, you just!
O come, ring out your joy,
all you upright of heart.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now,
and will be for ever. Amen.
Psalm Prayer
You desired, Lord, to keep from us your indignation and so did not spare Jesus Christ, who was wounded for our sins. We are your prodigal children, but confessing our sins we come back to you. Embrace us that we may rejoice in your mercy together with Christ your beloved Son.
Ant. The one who is sinless in the eyes of God is blessed indeed.
In Jesus, Mary and Joseph!
Cathy Nolan
©Mary TV 2020
PS. Our Team at Mary TV wants to put together a Christmas greeting made up of short videos from you shipmates from around the world. We hope that you can take your phone or computer camera and point it at yourself, and just say Merry Christmas to our Mary TV family, and share something you like about Mary TV or even more about Our Lady of Medjugorje. You can upload the video from your computer or phone to this link, and we will take it from there. Just make sure there is audio, and that we can see you!! Share from your heart! We need to encourage each other this Christmas.
Christina Zubac will receive your video here:
https://www.dropbox.com/request/PIigZj8QdScxDWBvva0G
