Sunday, August 25, 2013
The Ministry of Reconciliation
Dear Friends,
A reading from Saint Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians (2 Cor 5:11-21):
Therefore, since we know the fear of the Lord, we try to persuade others; but we are clearly apparent to God, and I hope we are also apparent to your consciousness. We are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you an opportunity to boast of us, so that you may have something to say to those who boast of external appearance rather than of the heart. For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are rational, it is for you. For the love of Christ impels us, once we have come to the conviction that one died for all; therefore, all have died. He indeed died for all, so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
Consequently, from now on we regard no one according to the flesh; even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him so no longer. So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
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We had a very beautiful sunny day yesterday and I thank the Lord for this great day of summer. He gave us many beautiful days this month.
Below you will find the message of Our Lord, the Son of God, given to Father Melvin. Jesus spoke to him these words,
“Be reconciled to God, My brother Melvin and all My brothers and sisters who believe that I died for all of you to atone for all your sins. All priests have been given to ministry of reconciliation to bring sinners back to God. I gave My Church the Sacrament of Reconciliation by which every priest can absolve the sins of My followers if they repent of their sins. This sacrament is a wonderful gift I gave My Church in order to apply to all Christians who repent what I won for them by My suffering and death on the cross. You are the ones who should have suffered and died because you committed sins. Yet I took your place and paid the price for your sins by My sacrifice on the cross. Go now and repent and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and all your sins will be taken away and I will live in your heart and give you many graces to help you life in union with Me. I bless you and I love you all.”
Father Melvin