BLESSED FRANCIS XAVIER SEELOS, PRIEST (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

Rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength! 

After years of exile, the Jewish people had returned to Jerusalem. Now Ezra, the priest, and Nehemiah, the governor of Judah, call all the people together so that they can hear the Law of Moses being read aloud (Nehemiah 8:1). The people respond by prostrating themselves and weeping (8:6, 9). God’s word pierces their hearts because they see just how far they have strayed from his commandments.

And yet Ezra instructs them to rejoice because “today is holy to the Lord your God” (Nehemiah 8:9). It was holy because the Jews were rediscovering their identity: chosen by God, they were “a people specially his own” (Deuteronomy 7:6). Now they can repent and begin to walk in his ways once more. And that is a cause for joy!

We don’t usually associate repentance with joy. Like these Israelites, when we recognize the ways that we have strayed from God, we may feel like weeping. But the recognition of sin and the sorrow we feel is a work of the Holy Spirit. He moves in our hearts—sometimes in subtle ways, other times quite profoundly—to show us where we need to change. That could involve a serious sin, but it could just as well relate to an attitude or perspective that is hindering our walk with the Lord.

What a great grace it is when the Spirit reveals our failings to us! Though it might sadden us at first, it means that we don’t have to be stuck in our old ways. By repenting and receiving God’s mercy, we are able to rediscover our identity as members of his special people: as sons and daughters who can live in the freedom that Christ won for us.

This is why we need to make repentance a regular part of our time with the Lord each day. It’s also why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is so important. When we ask God to move in our hearts so that we can see where we have strayed, he will show us. And when we repent and experience his mercy, what joy we will feel! That joy will be the source of our strength (Nehemiah 8:10)—the strength we need to face our sin and turn to our merciful God each and every day!

“Father, today I repent of _______. Help me to rejoice today in your unfailing mercy.”

Nehemiah 8:1-12
Psalm 19:8-11
Luke 10:1-12