Saint Francis of Assisi (Memorial)

They would long ago have repented. 

Imagine that you’ve found an old painting in an antique shop and paid fifteen dollars for it. You take it home and try to clean it up, but nothing seems to work. You decide to take it to an art restorer. Then you are astounded when the artist informs you that your new painting is a rare masterpiece worth at least one million dollars!

That’s one way to look at today’s Gospel. Each of us, including the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum, is a rare masterpiece. It’s true, but it’s often hard to see. That’s because our souls can tend to resemble that old painting in the antique shop: covered over by the effects of sin, just waiting to be restored to their original beauty.

And who is the artist capable of doing that work of healing and restoration? Jesus! And he does it in the most powerful way in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

We often look at Reconciliation as a chore, an uncomfortable thing we have to do every now and then so that we don’t get into too much trouble. But the Lord wants our celebration of this sacrament to be so much more than that. He wants it to be a grace-filled encounter with his love and power. When we confess our sins, we open the door not only for the Lord to pardon us but also to wash us clean and set us free. We give Jesus the opportunity to fill us once again with the peace and joy of salvation.

Jesus wanted the people of Chorazin, Bethsaida, and Capernaum to experience God’s goodness and mercy. He invited them to repent so that they could be relieved of their guilt and rediscover the beauty that lay within them. Every one of the miracles he performed in their midst was meant as a sign of the new life he was offering them. If only they would repent and receive that new life!

Your heavenly Father is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in kindness (Psalm 103:8). Jesus has come to save, not to condemn (John 3:17). Take these truths with you the next time you celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. And watch to see how your inner beauty shines forth!

“Thank you, Lord, for your love! Teach me the joy and freedom of repentance.”

Job 38:1, 12-21; 40:3-5
Psalm 139:1-3, 7-10, 13-14
Luke 10:13-16