Thursday of the 24th week in the ordinary time
Theme: A sincere remorse
Today the church celebrates the memorial of our Lady of Sorrows. A celebration that reminds us about the pain and sacrifices that Mary had to make as a result of her saying yes to the message of the Angel Gabriel. She experienced sorrow and pain from the very beginning of her role as the mother of Jesus Christ. Interestingly, she faced all her challenges with faith and courage. She trusted in Gods process and believed in what God had in stock for her at all times. There is no part of the Bible that portrayed the fact that Mary was pained about her challenges or grumbled against God because of her situation. In view of this, we as children of God should take a leaf from her and handle our challenges with faith and courage just like our mother Mary did. Humanly speaking it may seem impossible, but with God everything is possible. God is willing to do everything for us when we play our own role and come to him in faith and trust. Simply put, trust in Gods providence and do your best, you will never regret your action. In our relationship with God, any honest effort we make, he will bless abundantly; he gives us generously without counting the cost.
My brothers and sisters in Christ, in the first reading and in the gospel of today, we see people who are sincerely sorry for their sins as a result of human brokenness. In the 1st reading we see that in the person of St. Paul, as he talks about the mercy of God that was shown him, not minding the fact that at a point in time in his life, he was fighting God without really knowing it. Also in the gospel reading we see the woman who anointed the feet of Jesus with ointment and wept sincerely for her sins; and Jesus said her sins are forgiven. My brothers and sisters in Christ, as we celebrate our Lady of Sorrows today, let us use the opportunity to go to God remorsefully and beg for the forgiveness of our sin and the mercy of God. Especially the moments we have grumbled and lost faith as a result of the challenges of life.
Dearly beloved in Christ, let us pray today that through the intercession of our Lady of Sorrows God will grant us the grace to be remorseful and trust in his process at all times. May the Lord bless his words in our hearts, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Peace be with you.