The priority of repentance
"Who among you, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them does not leave the ninety-nine in the wasteland and follow the lostone until he finds it?" Lk 15:4
Almost half of the Catholics in the USA and Canad are not practicing their faith. They don’t even go to Mass on Sunday. They are "fallen-away". Yet, almost all church personnel, finances, and activities are directed to the ones who have not fallen away. The shepherds of the church today certainly don’t leave ninety-nine Christians and go to find a lost one. Therefore, Jesus’ idea of leaving the many in order to seek the one seems strange to us.
Jesus has this "funny" idea because He putsa much higher priority on repentance than we do. According to Mark’s Gospel, "Repent" is the first command Jesus gives in His public ministry (Mk 1:15). Calling us to repentance is such a high priority for Jesus, paul was even happy that the Corinthians were sorrowful since "sorrow for God’s sake produces a repentance without regrets, leading to salvation" (2 Cor 7:10). "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).
Repent. Go to Confession. Give Jesus and all heaven cause to rejoice.
Theophore
Almost half of the Catholics in the USA and Canad are not practicing their faith. They don’t even go to Mass on Sunday. They are "fallen-away". Yet, almost all church personnel, finances, and activities are directed to the ones who have not fallen away. The shepherds of the church today certainly don’t leave ninety-nine Christians and go to find a lost one. Therefore, Jesus’ idea of leaving the many in order to seek the one seems strange to us.
Jesus has this "funny" idea because He putsa much higher priority on repentance than we do. According to Mark’s Gospel, "Repent" is the first command Jesus gives in His public ministry (Mk 1:15). Calling us to repentance is such a high priority for Jesus, paul was even happy that the Corinthians were sorrowful since "sorrow for God’s sake produces a repentance without regrets, leading to salvation" (2 Cor 7:10). "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).
Repent. Go to Confession. Give Jesus and all heaven cause to rejoice.
Theophore
Posted by Dominique Péladeau for the Rev. Radu Roscanu | 5:22 AM
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