Today’s Gospel sure is appropriate. Sat. Aug. 25, 2018. (Some of the below, in real ways have been taught by those who ‘walk the walk,’ day in and day out - and truly showed covenant love of God and neighbor with much sacrifice. Christ-like. (i.e. Fr. Richard Ho Lung of Missionaries of The Poor; Bishop Fulton J. Sheen; Mother Teresa; and more.)
Jesus Christ only desires, and gave His All, to heal us of sin and death.
He was very compassionate, and never soft on sin. He abhorred
self aggrandized piety, which talked the talk, and someone outwardly
seemed to follow the Law, but inwardly had no compassion, just wanted
to appear to himself or herself good, and appear that way to others;
even thinking they were good - looking down on others.
People say, well Jesus Christ sat and ate with sinners; but when saying that, they often fail to include that He delivered the sincere of heart to work on cooperating with His Grace to practice virtue and avoid sin.
We are all sinners, and all fall into rationalizations; but we are to help one another; bearing one another’s burdens; to help lift one another out of sin;
and help grow in virtue and truly care and help others from the heart.
We can go on and on about this or that sinfulness; and the heinous heartbreaking tragedies and scandals. Sin and death, desire of things apart from God’s Will - (the love of money, which helps facilitate those things) is the root of evil and lack of peace — and all the unearned suffering, which belongs to Jesus Christ in the world. Let His Grace help for more virtue and helping others, and burn away all fleshly desire that is not of God’s Will. The narrow and difficult way, brings inner peace and joy; and the more we cheerfully do this; the more we take His Yoke, which is easy,
and instills humble heart filled ways, upon us. The wide path of destruction; which the ‘prodigal son,’ sought before he repented, by the seductions and trickery of the devil, the world, and the flesh - with all it’s rationalizations - only seems easy at first. And the biggest tragedy is for someone to get a ‘seared conscience,’ often times filled with euphoric distractions - but inwardly fogged over discontentment - wanting others to enjoy revelry glossed over misery. Misery loves company, so they say. And when this happens, sometimes they are charismatic, but only seek the Godly for parasitic reasons. And they love to call the Godly, hypocrites and judgmental, many times without cause - to justify there own sinfulness - saying we are all sinners. Only God knows the heart, but Jesus Christ said there will be tares amidst the wheat.
Letting God’s Grace help us be compassionate like Christ; with assertive,
non accommodating truth. This conveys true kindness.
