Jan 13 Tue
Is our Redemption from evil still being carried out?
For centuries, the Chosen People centered its hopes on the coming of the Messiah, the Redeemer. Christ did come, and yet evil remains. He came to free us from evil, but He wants our free cooperation in shaking off its fetters. Therefore, a hope that remains at the purely human level makes no sense.
Christ has not failed, because the teaching of Christ enriches the world today. Yet God has willed that men should be free. It is we men who are unwilling. The Redemption is taking place at this very moment. And you and I are co-redeemers.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. From the time that Jesus took on our human nature, the Father's plan for the redemption of mankind has moved towards its perfect fulfilment. Since He was God, and since any action of his on our behalf was of infinite value, Christ was able to save us, breaking the bonds with which the devil had enslaved us. And since He was man, He could expiate for our sins in his own body: Taking a human nature, He took our sins upon himself. Those sins can no longer cause us to despair. God himself has drawn near to us, and what we were incapable of doing on our own, Christ has done for us.
“Listen to what Jesus tells us in St John's Gospel: For this I was born, for this I came into the world, to give testimony to the truth, to free mankind from the slavery of sin."
If difficulties sometimes make us weary and tempt us to lose hope, let us remember that God, though Lord and architect of the whole world, who created and set in order every single thing that is, was something more than loving towards mankind; He was long-suffering as well. So, He has always been, and is still, and shall ever be: merciful, kind, slow to anger, and true. There is none so good as He. God is always moved to compassion at the sight of our wretchedness. “God has a special love for what is humble in creation. This has consoled me. God looks on me with love when I do what I can. He loves your defects, if you get up after every fall, if you fight, if He sees your goodwill, your efforts. Sanctity is nothing other than struggle, my children."
We need to give Christ a chance to make use of us, to be His word and His work, to share His food and His clothing in the world today. If we do not radiate the light of Christ around us, the sense of the darkness that prevails in the world will increase.
To ensure that our voice reaches Jesus above the noise caused by our many sins, let us go to Mary. God has made her the repository of his Mercy. Through her intercession, we pray: All-powerful God, renew us constantly and free us from our slavery to sin.