Humbly submit your will to God (Thy Will be done) and consecrate yourself to the Sacred Heart of Jesus through Mary.
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
“This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
“A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
‘Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
‘How many of my father’s hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
“Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.’
But his father ordered his servants,
‘Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.’
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
‘Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.’
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
‘Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’
He said to him,
‘My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.’” ​LK 15:1-3, 11-32

Jesus’s message today in the Gospel is definitely Good News! Whichever son you are in the parable, we have been in both positions. The first son is lost and caught up in worldly possessions. The second son is the righteous son. He has been doing good and right. This does not mean he is not a sinner. The key to Jesus’s message is compassion. God the Father is the father in this parable of the Prodigal Son. God welcomes us back no matter how lost we get or how many times we sin. We must learn what sin is and fight it to become holy. When we do sin the key is WE MUST REPENT as the son who fell into the lie that the world and devil tries to get us to follow. Too many people do NOT repent. Jesus cannot die for the sins we do not repent for. Sometimes people fall too far away from God after they sin or because they are struggling with a sin that they currently cannot overcome. Others do not think sin has consequences. Sin has very serious consequences. Jesus tells us this over and over in the Gospels. Jesus has tried to teach this lesson by appearing to two visionary saints, St. Margaret Mary Alacoque had visions of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and St. Faustina had visions of Jesus with the message of Divine Mercy. God is trying to tell us something.

We must repent, His mercy is like the ocean and our sins are small compared to the ocean of mercy. God’s grace is bigger than any sin. God’s grace came to restore what was damaged.  Another group of people fail at forgiving themselves. They go to confession then continue to feel guilt or continue to crucify themselves over past sin. They are taking away the power of the Cross. This is why Jesus died!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When we repent (which means to change your life and stop the sin you are repenting for, this takes time and God’s grace to overcome with good counsel) and go to confession, if we are truly sorry, then the sin is wiped away forever. God does not have a tablet keeping track of everyone’s sins. He just has mercy and love. We must learn to forget our sins and our past shortcomings and look forward. The beauty of God is our future, new hope, heaven, the heart’s greatest desire. St. Augustine says, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.” We in turn are called to do the same for others. If we do not forgive others their transgressions the Father will not forgive ours. MT 6:15
The measure with which you measure will be measured back to you. When we learn to forgive ourselves, repent and change our lives to become holy, forgive others and have compassion (a heart full of understanding; to suffer with) God promises us an eternal future in heaven with Him. This should bring comfort and joy. A life of sin brings anxiety, worry, and misery. Let Jesus love you and heal your pain. Then, the celebration in heaven over a soul that was lost and now is found will be a great celebration!

Today’s challenge: Repent, change your life this Lent by getting to know Jesus better. When you get to know Him heart to heart, you will want nothing else but to be with Him and get to heaven. Then, you will fight sin, repent, have compassion, deny yourself, take up your crosses and become holy. Nothing else will matter!

Be a servant, become a saint!
​#Christian YOLO