Lenten Reflection

Many people think that sinners get more, not less. One imagines that the thief, for example, receives more when he steals. But the thief in fact loses the the good of a determined social order without which human life falls apart. Another supposes that the more sexual pleasure a person procures, the more he will experience personal happiness. But the truth is that the unchaste person gets less of the good that sexual pleasure is meant to promote, that is, wedded friendship, the only sanctifiable context within which sexual pleasure unites man and woman. Still another argues that the destruction of inconvenient human life results in acquiring more liberty for individuals and society. But the reality is that the killing of the innocent forfeits a respect for the Creator that no creature can afford to live without. So Jesus admonishes us: "Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin" (John 8:34). The only remedy for sin is developing a strong filial relationship with God. Lent offers us a time of grace to deepen one's love for the heavenly Father. Our love for God grows deep the more we remain closely united with His only Son. The only way to unite ourselves to Jesus Christ is to embrace everything that His Church teaches and offers, especially the Eucharist. Then we have everything.

Reflection based on John 8: 31-42
~ Father Romanus Cessario, O.P.
Excerpted from the Magnificat Lenten Companion
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