GOD PREFERS ‘I LOVE YOU’ TO I’M SORRY

-

          Have you noticed that no where in the New Testament (Bible) does Jesus explicitly tell us that in order to receive forgiveness for our sins, we must be sorry? Whereas we have made such a fuss about contrition. So many are worried whether they have sufficient contrition or not, whether their contrition was perfect or imperfect, and such questions which are irrelevant as far as forgiveness is concerned.

            Jesus did not demand these things. What he explicitly and insistently demanded was this: He said, “If you want forgiveness from my heavenly Father, then you must forgive your brother/sister.”(Mt.6:14) There’s another thing that Jesus demanded of us if we would have the sins forgiven: Love. As simple as that.


            Come to me and say you love me and your sins will be forgiven. Observe that scene with a sinful woman. Jesus says, “Her many sins are forgiven because she has loved much.” (Lk.7:47) After the denial, to the guilt-struck Peter Jesus didn’t expect a sorry. All he asked was, “Peter, do you love me more than all these things?” Peter with tears of repentance replied, “Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you. (Jn.21:17)”

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Bend, Break, Bear: The Way Jesus Loved (Maundy Thursday Homily)

-
Image
"Love One Another as I Have Loved You" (John 13:34) Dear friends, We live in a world where the phrase “I love you” is said so often. It's perhaps the most used, misused, and misunderstood expression among us. Think about it: When was the last time you said, heard, or read “I love you”? It’s estimated that this phrase is spoken over 3 million times a day across the world — in messages, phone calls, songs, movies, and more. Some even tattoo it on their skin… sometimes with names that later change! On social media, we say: “I love Jesus,” “I love pizza,” “I love that video,” “I love your dress,” “I love CSK,” “I love Thala,” “I love Thalapathy.” Yes, love is everywhere. And yet, we’re often starved for real love . Because love is what we all long for. We’re not truly alive where we reside, but where we are loved . Love: Not Just a Feeling, But a Command In our Christian faith, love isn’t just a feeling . It’s more than an emotion or an Instagram caption...
Read more

Easter Homily: “The Empty Tomb is Full of H.O.P.E.”

-
Image
On this radiant Easter Sunday, I’m reminded of a personal moment — a time I was standing in a long queue in Jerusalem, waiting to enter the tomb of Jesus. I struck up a conversation with an Indian family in the line. They had come as tourists to Israel and had unknowingly joined the queue out of curiosity. After a long 40-minute wait, they stepped out of the tomb. The daughter, a little confused, exclaimed, “We waited all this time… just to enter an empty tomb?!” She was probably expecting to see Jesus' body still there! 😄 That innocent reaction made me smile. Yes, dear friends, that’s exactly the point of Easter. Today’s Gospel from Luke 24:1–12 presents to us not a sealed tomb — but an empty one. And that empty tomb is not meaningless… it is full — full of H.O.P.E. This hope isn’t abstract or sentimental. It’s solid. Real. Life-giving. It’s a hope that changes how we live every single day. Let me share with you what this H.O.P.E. means — drawn from the Resurrect...
Read more

TO FEAR GOD OR TO LOVE GOD

-
            Today a vast number of Christians are full of fear of God. We are still trapped within a religion of rules (law) which Jesus abolished twenty centuries ago. He preached a God who was love itself and a liberation from the burden of the law. Sometimes our dealings with God are characterized by one big round of duties. This is the fear that brought and still brings many Catholics to mass on Sundays. I sometimes get an irrational feeling that if there were no commandments. I would be a saint. I’d feel so free and liberated – and I know I would keep every commandment spontaneously. One day a seminarian found himself saying to this God whom he was serving with all his heart and soul, “God, I really hate you. You are a kill-joy. I just cannot enjoy life while you are around, You won’t allow me to be as I am, You won’t leave me free.” Here, with whom lies the problem. The problem is certainly not with God but with us. ...
Read more