Daily Devotional

Anytime we reflect on the earliest Christian communities, as we have them in the Acts of the Apostles, we cannot help but feel sad at the situation in our churches today. The principle at work back then was: “When one member suffers, all suffer with him or her.” Does this principle still operate in our churches today? Do we still gather to pray for ourselves? Or have we become too busy to pray? Do we still have faith in the power of prayer?

When you go for confession, and a priest says, “Your Sins are forgiven,” know that you are enjoying the Divine Mercy of God because the priest has received the Holy Spirit at ordination and has been empowered by Jesus to forgive sins. In the sacrament of penance, you are not confessing to a man; you are confessing to someone reborn through the breath of Jesus, as we read in today’s Gospel passage.

Regardless of the apostles’ weaknesses, Jesus still entrusted them with the mission: “Go into the world and preach the Gospel to the whole creation.” You don’t have to be perfect to become God’s instrument of salvation. You only need to be willing to accept correction and to develop a strong daily desire to improve. Do you notice that the apostles did not defend themselves or offer excuses, unlike Saul? They did not pass the blame like Adam and Eve; they accepted their faults, learned their lessons and moved on stronger.