Through Christ great works come to take place, “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
Throughout Advent we prepare ourself for our encounter with the coming of Christ. It is Christ who will come again, it is Christ who comes among us in the Most Holy Eucharist, and it is Christ who is born on Christmas.
When it pertains to the miracles of Christ there needed to be faith in the heart of the receiver. As we were told within the Gospel of Saint Matthew, “And he did not work many mighty deeds there because of their lack of faith.”
So too the Lord desires to work such mighty things in our life, but do we have the faith to allow Him to do so? We have been touched by sin and death and He has given us the path towards eternal life. Do we desire eternal life and thus reality of joining with Christ for all eternity?
It was Saint John the Baptist who serves as the precursor to Christ. He would lead people into the waters of baptism as a foreshadowing of that life giving baptism which was to come. Through our baptism we were claimed for Christ and a great work was accomplished within us.
It is through sin that our baptismal garment becomes stained. Thankfully we do not have to stay in this state, but we can come to the sacrament of Confession in order to be healed. Our parish will have seven priests with us on Tuesday to assist with confessions. Hopefully you and your family will come to partake in this opportunity to know the healing mercy of God.
The Lord has entrusted the Church with seven sacraments, so who are we to say that we know better and have no need of the sacrament of confession? Yes, God already knows our sins, but calls us towards His priests in order that we may be healed. As the Lord told His apostles, “Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them and whose sins you retain are retained.” In confession we encounter Christ through the priest and it is Christ, not man, who absolves us of our sin.
What are we holding back from the mercy of God? Let us not hold onto our sin without His help, but make use of this sacrament in order that we may be healed. The Lord desires to work great things with our life, but we impede this from taking place. May the words of Saint Luke’s Gospel ring true for you for “there will be rejoicing among the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” Please return to the sacrament of confession and let the Lord heal you.
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