No one is beyond the reach of his love.
Fr. Steve reiterates the message of his homily last week, that God calls all of us to holiness. Holiness is wholeness. He also calls us to love – to receive and to give love. Jesus proclaimed that the kingdom of God is at hand. What is God’s kingdom? It is where the will of God is done. It is within us if we are following the will of God, if we are receiving and giving love.
We need to see as God sees. We need to see that this world is not all there is. This earthly world it passing away. We are merely pilgrims here. We need to repent, experience conversion to see life from the perspective of eternity. This is what the prophets call us to: repentance.
The story of Jonah in the readings today tells us, as he did, to repent, just as the Ninevites did. The Lord wants us to preach the words of repentance, in our role as prophet. Each of us has a three-part role as priest, prophet and king. All Christians are priest and victim. At Mass, the bread and wine represent us. Repenting is fundamentally human.
Fr. Steve refers to the doleful 45th anniversary of Roe v. Wade on Moday January 22. Abortion is the blight of our times. We have mercy and God has mercy on those involved in abortion, just as the New Life Center is a place of hope and healing. God longs to redeem not condemn. Sadly, millions of babies have been killed through abortion and the March for Life is a testament to our prayers for our nation. He refers to his criticism of President Trump in last week’s post-communion comments, but also praises him for his support of the right to life. This is not a political battle but a spiritual battle. We are the conscience of the nation. We will pray and fast as a witness to our love and pray for a turnaround in this crucial decision regarding abortion. No one is superfluous or too much of a burden. No one should be deemed dispensable. We each have great dignity that was worth the blood of Jesus.
