Sunday Reflections

God is always calling us back. 

In the reading from Jeremiah and in the Psalm, we hear that the people of Israel were brought back to the Promised Land from their time in exile and bondage.  Although these readings recount an historical event, their importance for us is spiritual rather than physical.  We hear that the Lord called everyone, from all corners of the Earth, from every walk of life; all were called to come back to communion with God, back to a life of faith and the blessings promised to God’s people.  So too does the Lord call each of us back to Himself; wherever we are in life, He is always calling us back.

Why do I need to come back? 

Mark’s gospel tells the story of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar who was brave enough to call out to Jesus through the crowd and asked Jesus to restore his sight.  This story too has a spiritual lesson for us.  Bartimaeus didn’t just ask Jesus to let him see again, he asked Jesus to have mercy on him.  Bartimaeus recognized that he was a sinner, and asked forgiveness and healing from his sins.  Jesus not only gave him his sight, but also said “your faith has made you well”.  Bartimaeus, forgiven from his sins and healed by Jesus, began to follow him, both physically and spiritually.  We are all sinners.  No matter how hard we try to live as good Christians, we still succumb to sin sometimes, and that sin damages our relationship with God and with others.  This is why we need to constantly strive to “come back” to God.

How can we find our way back to God?

It is hard to admit that we have strayed from God, hard to believe that He still loves us and calls us back.  Sometimes the hardest part, however, can be actually finding our way back.  The letter to the Hebrews shows us the first step on this journey.  God has given us priests as confessors, to act on behalf of humanity in relation to God.  The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift from God which allows us to communicate with God through a priest, confess our sins and receive absolution and healing.  Indeed, Reconciliation is categorized as a Healing Sacrament.  It is not about guilt or shame, it is about repairing our relationship with God and others, and it is the best way to answer God’s call to come back to Him. 

Once we are healed from our sins, we can truly know that our faith has made us well, and we can, with clear conscience and sight, begin again to follow Jesus.