Did the saints begin again?
Along with the defeats, God gives us hope.
We still have to accomplish a lot on earth, on the way to Glory. St Paul, a convert, after he decided to follow Christ, did not turn back: “Do not throw away the grace of God!"
Let's not waste it. Let's not lose it, let's not make it useless.
We all need light. When it is turned on, do not turn it off!
Our time is a treasure that the Lord places in our hands so that we can take advantage of it. Bear fruit.
Let the wicked abandon their way, and let them return.
Come back! You have gone too far. You have run a lot off the path. Back!
And start again? Yes, start over!
We must follow in the footsteps of the Master; thus, we must abandon the bad paths, retrace them, and return.
After a fall, ask for forgiveness
Let us take refuge in the very great mercy of our God, a God who forgives, and begin your Christian life anew!
Real men always fight, and those who fight often fall, but when they do, they rejoin the struggle. And if the faults are great, great are the penances. Men of God do many things full of love for the Lord, and sometimes, because they are weak, they commit small infidelities or great blunders.
When a fighting soldier receives a wound or retreats a bit, no one thinks it is a crime.
The only ones who do not receive wounds are those who do not fight.
The Lord allows setbacks and relapses in the lives of those who serve Him, so that, repentant, they may begin again with new vigor the usual journey.
Even when the disloyalties are of great weight, the purpose of amendment must be sincere. And then..., everything leads not only to continue treading along the path, but even to rise to heights never reached in the previous stage.
Everything can help us. St Paul tells us that everything is for the good of those who love God, even sins.
Thus, those filled with humility and distrust in their own strength, rise and rise and rise in the life of Love.
And start over!
And after a good confession and the fulfillment of penance, and perhaps of tears, a message of hope springs up again for hearts that want to begin anew: "The Lord has forgiven your sin," they hear. Now, forget what God has forgotten and..., follow the path of the brave.
Were there mistakes, setbacks? Well, get up. And now, with more enthusiasm than before.
"In this tournament of love, we should not be saddened by falls, or even serious falls, if we go to God with sorrow and sincerity in the sacrament of Penance. The Christian is not a maniacal collector of an immaculate service record."
Begin again, my friend. This is what is in your hands.
Nov 12 Wed