We are disciples of Christ. To become his disciples, we die to our old life in the waters of baptism and rise to new life in him. Even though we strive toward perfection as disciples on our journey of faith, that does not me we still don’t struggle with sin and temptation. In his letter to the Romans, St Paul acknowledges the reality of sin, seeing sin as powerful and active in the world of believers. Our Catholic faith openly acknowledges the power that sin can have over us even as we try to live as disciples. We are called to an on-going cycle of conversion and repentance. We are called to confess our sins, to repent, to do penance, and to strive to do better.
I read an article in America Magazine in which Pope Francis was asked: "Who is Jorge Mario Bergoglio?" He answered: “I am a sinner. This is the most accurate definition. It is not a figure of speech, a literary genre. I am a sinner.” We are all sinners, this is true, but we have the help of God’s grace, which St Paul sees as the source of our liberty and security. It is hard to believe that we are nearing the end of October, which means that Thanksgiving and Advent are around the corner, as we will start our preparations for the Christmas season. We have the sacrament of reconciliation each Saturday afternoon here at Holy Savior before our Vigil Mass. We also have confessions offered the first Wednesday of the month during our time of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We will have a Reconciliation Service during the season of Advent in early December as well. We ask the Lord to lead us and guide us in our fight against temptation, against the sins we struggle with in our lives. Without his help, we cannot do anything.
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