Paul writes to Timothy about the blessings of God in his life. Looking back on his life, Paul realized that he has been richly blessed and compassionately loved by God. He told Timothy that he use to be a murderer. He led a staunch and fierce opposition against a young and burgeoning Christian movement. Paul confesses “I was violently persecuting the church of God and was trying to destroy it” (Gal. 1:13). He killed many Christians, he orphaned many children and he persecuted parents and children (1Tim. 1:13). Not only in Israel was Paul’s violent harassment of Christians known, he was off to Damascus “so that if he found any Christian, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2).
In spite of Paul’s opposition against Christians, he speaks of himself as being appointed as an apostle by Jesus Christ and God who raised Jesus from the dead (Gal. 1:1) because God lavished grace upon him; God who sent Jesus into the world for the forgiveness of sins (1Tim. 1:14-16) treated him with mercy. Therefore, Paul moved pass his former poor choices and grew strongly in faith in Christ who came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32).
The same grace that Paul enjoyed has been given to us. God’s compassionate love and mercy is offered to us in spite of the poor judgment we might have made. God looks beyond our fault to welcome us back to the life of grace. God is like a shepherd who lost one sheep and was unrelenting in his all out effort to find the sheep (Luke 15:4-7). Likewise, God is like a woman, who in spite of her fortune stops at nothing in her search for her missing coin and rejoices upon finding it (Luke 15:8-10). God does not cut us off from divine love because of our poor choices; rather God waits relentlessly for our change of heart to fill us with divine grace.
We should not allow the poor decision we made in the past to deny us the love and grace of God. Whatever our missteps are, they are forgivable by a loving and caring God if we express a true change of heart as Paul did. The husband or wife whose unfaithfulness wrecked his or her family can find renewal in the grace of God. The father who emotionally traumatized the daughter he is supposed to protect and help achieve her dreams in life can experience the grace and love of God. The siblings whose painful feud continues to tear their entire family apart are able to move pass their differences by the grace of God which is completely lavished upon us in Christ Jesus.
Jesus came to reconcile us to God and fill us with grace. We will be forgiven when we sincerely express repentance. We should be completely disposed to seek forgiveness from one another and be ready to forgive those who might have wounded us by their actions. At the National Shrine of St. Jude we pray for the strength of will to seek God’s grace in our lives, to always find that extra strength in us to amend the damages we might have done to ourselves and others so that we might experience always the abundant grace of God in our lives.
Father Ferdinand Okorie, C.M.F.
National Shrine of St. Jude
Chicago, Illinois
I pray for the strength of will to seek God’s grace in my life. I thank the Nation Shrine of St. Jude for giving me a place to go and reflect and learn.