Posted in News

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From the Founder’s Desk

My dear Brothers & Sisters, Blessings!

 

Thank God for Easter! Thank God He has risen from the dead! Thank God that He has called us to communion with His crucified, then Risen body. Yes, all will be well though we are made of clay, weak and so full of foibles.

Let us carry our burdens to the Lord and let us ask Him to place our fingers in His side. He truly understands us and the weakness of our flesh. But He is risen, truly risen from the dead.

 

I can’t imagine a God who doesn’t love the poor. But I also I can’t imagine a God who does not heal our souls. The forgiveness of sins is a matter of healing the soul.

 

Imagine! The scribes and Pharisees hated Jesus and condemned Him to death because He forgave sins. “Who alone but God forgives sins?”

 

Christ is the Son of God who came down to earth to forgive sins. He saw that this is one of the biggest of problems we all endure. We carry around in our soul sin, guilt, and shame. It is a major burden! It weighs us down. “Which of you is without sin?” asks Jesus of the scribes and Pharisees who had the woman caught in adultery ready to be stoned. But confronted by Jesus, they had to put away their stones.

 

Guilt and shame leads to condemnation, and, condemnation leads to self-hatred which leads to despair! What a way to live! So Jesus takes away our sins once we confess and beg forgiveness and seek to sin no more.

 

Christ is God, He does forgive sins, He died for our sins, and, appointed future men who were sinner themselves to carry on the divine call of Jesus “Whoever’s sin you forgive, it is forgiven.”

 

Forgiveness! Forgiveness! Forgiveness! What would we do without a forgiving God! What would we do without forgiveness as part of our culture?

 

All of us are sinners! Serious sinners with secrets, sins, huge burdens of wrong doing. But also others have wronged us. The cycle of sin and forgiveness must be continued. If not we end up with condemnation of others and ourselves, we will not be happy.

 

But Jesus forgives, even before we beg His forgiveness, He already opens His heart to welcome us before we beg forgiveness. Even the righteous man sins, seventy times seven times per day. Yes! We should admit our sins, correct ourselves and one another. But always with love, and a desire to overcome our sins. Even adultery must be forgiven!

 

What would have happened in our world if communities did not forgive one another? What would have happened if Jesus did not forgive our sins and take so seriously the disaster sin is, and was crucified and died and, as God, forgive us our sins?

 

But He forgives us our sins, and, asks us to forgive one another. He wants to lift us from this terrible burden so we can go forward in freedom and build the kingdom of God.

 

Without forgiveness and the love which issues from it we would be paralyzed and dreadfully unhappy. Let us put aside our hardness of heart. Let us enjoy the wonderful gift of Easter and let us soften our hearts to those we have not forgiven! “Love one another as I have loved you!” “Even unto our own death.” Let this be our cross and resurrection at Easter! – Love and forgiveness.

 

This is why we are Alleluia people. To God be the honor, the power, and the glory!

 

Thank you brothers and sisters! You who have been so faithful to Missionaries of the Poor.

Happy and Holy Easter! May your family members and friends be blessed!