Praying For Sinners
Ever wondered why we pray for others who are sinners? It is this reading from the first letter of John. John begins by teaching us to ask and you shall receive. We know that but he wants us to know God’s door is always open.
John does want us to pray for Christian sinners but delineates from that group those that are committing the deadly sin. Thankfully he does not tell us what that sin is. But let us look at the context of his letter. He writes about the separation of light from darkness. It might be then to say those who turn away from the Christian faith are in danger. As humans we tend to want everybody to have the chance to be saved, but we must remember they have free will and do not have to change. Matter of fact, John in his usual way says it is all black and white.
Today, we tend to deal with many shades of gray in our decision-making process. Not so for John. He concludes with telling us not to worship false idols. Maybe we do not have false idols in front of us, but we certainly have many people distorting the truth and trying to lead us down the wrong path. John’s message is absolutely needed in our world today.
Couple of other items. Scammers are at it again. You might get an email saying that Bishop or myself is asking for a favor or money. DELETE IT IMMEDIATELY. We would not do that by email.
January 15 is our Diocesan Gathering for Life. It begins at 10:00 AM with mass celebrated by Bishop Powers. There will be a presentation by Danielle Hendricks, Pregnancy Help Center director and Deacon Tim Mika from Our Lady of the Lake, Ashland. Please see the information in the bulletin or online.
Men’s Retreat February 5-6 Redeeming Masculinity at Heartwood, Trego
Women’s Retreat February 19-20 The Feminine Genius at Heartwood, Trego
See posters or also online.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and if the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen