In today's Holy Mass, we hear in the epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, a statement that demands attention: "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found vain." (I Corinthians 15:10)
St. Paul, by his own admission, believes he does not deserve the title of apostle because of his zealous persecution of the followers of Christ before his conversion. But yet, by God's grace, he is who he is.
Often times, I wonder since I am such a great sinner, how is it that I can be called a Christian a follower of Christ. Yet nothing is impossible to God.
Our Lord calls us all to conversion, regardless of what we have done in the past. Our Lord washes us clean in the sacrament of Penance and nourishes us with His own Flesh, all the while sanctifying us with the Holy Spirit in the sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. He wants us to surrender our lives to Him so that we may live in true freedom and joy. Our sins, cleansed by His Most Precious Blood, are no more an impediment to establishing intimacy with our Heavenly Father.
The grace of God, which fills our souls, can change our lives so profoundly that the words of today's gospel come th life: "He hath done all things well..." (St. Mark 7:37)
Let us all seek that conversion to God so that we, like the deaf man in today's gospel, be filled with His grace to live a life on this earth that astonishes and prompts many to seek a true conversion to Christ.
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