3rd Sunday of Easter: Repentance in the light of the resurrection.

Study: Reflect on a time when you willingly took on a hard task with joy.  What gave you courage to begin?

Pray: Is there something that needs to change in your life?  Pray for the grace to begin again.

Serve:  How can you help someone make a change for the good?

Mass Readings – 3rd Sunday of Easter

The season of Easter offers us many opportunities to celebrate and rejoice.  After all, the light of the Risen Lord brings hope, courage and strength to all who call upon the name of Jesus.  Take a look at a quick overview of these readings:

• 1st Reading – “Repent…and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.”
• Psalm – “Lord, let your face shine on us.”
• 2nd Reading – Jesus Christ is our Advocate with the Father
• Gospel – Jesus appears to the disciples, explains the Scriptures, and teaches them to proclaim repentance in His name

Why all this talk of repentance?  First and foremost, because we need it.  The Good News of the resurrection of Jesus Christ brings light to the darkness of death and sin.  Easter does not downplay the call to turn away from sin; rather, we have renewed hope that in Christ’s victory on the Cross we are empowered to face our weaknesses with God’s grace.

The light of the resurrection shines in our hearts…and sometimes we need to clean out what’s in there.  We might not like it, might try to avoid it, but in the end we stand before the Lord and acknowledge that all that we have is sustained by His love.

Here’s my point: this holy season offers us a chance to draw near to Christ – who knows us better than we know ourselves – and receive his mercy for our sins.  All that’s required is our acknowledgement for what we’ve done, make a change to live for the Lord and then receive the forgiveness that flows from the Sacred Heart.

Repentance is a lifetime work.  There will be days when we follow the Lord with joy and conviction; then again there will be days when we fail miserably.  What matters most is that we continue to seek Jesus with all our heart and strive to live our lives in the light of his resurrection.

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