Do not give up, my dear friends, let us continue to struggle to overcome that weakness.
Good morning, dear friends and welcome to Saturday of the fourth week of Lent Year B. We bless God for His protection throughout this week and we ask Him to see us through the last day of this week, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Dear friends, some may say, “Lent is almost gone and I have nothing to show for it. I keep going back to the same sin”.
“Say to them, ‘As I live, says the Lord, I do not want the wicked to die, but rather that they turn from their ways and live. Turn! Turn from your wicked ways! Why, O Israel should you die?’”
Ezekiel 33:11
Dear friends, why do you want to give up, why not rather begin again? It is never too late to begin again. In the gospel acclamation of today taken from Ezekiel 33:11, we see that God’s heart is full of compassion and a longing for us to turn away from our wrongdoing. Instead of delighting in the death of the wicked, God yearns for their change of heart and rescue.
My dear friends, the late Sr. Leonie McSweeney, would say, “A saint is not a sinless person, but a sinner who never stops trying to stop sinning.” Do not give up, my dear friends, let us continue to struggle to overcome that weakness.
Let us pray.
Heavenly Father,
We seek your boundless compassion and mercy. Guide us away from sin, towards repentance and transformation. May Your desire for our salvation stir our hearts to turn to You wholeheartedly. Grant us the grace to find redemption and life in Your loving embrace.
We ask this, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Lord be with you.
