Sunday February 25, 2007
First Sunday of Lent
February 25, 2007
“The Lord, the God of our fathers, brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm. “
Deuteronomy 26:8
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Maybe we should all go to prison. I have been to prison. I went there this past Christmas. I was so fortunate to go. But I was not sentenced to go there. I was asked if I could celebrate a mass there on Christmas afternoon and I am so grateful I had the opportunity to do so. I learned a lot and was deeply moved in my two hour stay at the women’s prison on Christmas day.
That day during mass a couple of the women who were in prison shared how that they were not free when they were living outside the prison walls and how they had become free since living in prison. What an interesting point to ruminate on. While living in the free world they felt incarcerated and when they were incarcerated they finally became free.
Now, what I am not proposing is that we should all break the law such that we would be sentenced to prison in order to become free. What I am proposing is true freedom and we can look at what it took for these women to find it. You see, these women have lots of time and little distraction in prison to come to God and ask to be released from their prison of sin to enjoy true freedom. We, too, can make time and clear distraction in order to let Jesus lead us to true freedom. True freedom is knowing Christ and his salvation. It is knowing that we are not sent to prison and death because of our sins and mistakes. True freedom is knowing that we are loved and forgiven- all the way to heaven. As one woman shared, a major thing she learned in prison that she is not a mistake even though she made the mistake that sent her to prison. True freedom is not about physically being able to go and do and wherever you want when you want. Rather, it is knowing and living according to the way of Christ which is the way of everlasting life. We see this way of life foreshadowed as Moses is going to lead the Israelites out of the oppression of the Egyptians. Jesus, the New Moses, will come to lead every sinner out of their spiritual prison to the land of true freedom.
St. Paul talks about being set free “from” so that we can be free “for”. Yes, we are set free “from” sin so that we can be free “for” Christ. That is the life of a Christian and that is the way of everlasting. Like St. Paul, let us make ourselves prisoners to Christ. Let us sentence ourselves to Christ who can only set us free. It is being imprisoned to Christ that we find true freedom. You are not a mistake and neither am I. Even the person on death row who made that grave mistake can be set free from the physical and spiritual sentence of death and know true freedom.
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John
That day during mass a couple of the women who were in prison shared how that they were not free when they were living outside the prison walls and how they had become free since living in prison. What an interesting point to ruminate on. While living in the free world they felt incarcerated and when they were incarcerated they finally became free.
Now, what I am not proposing is that we should all break the law such that we would be sentenced to prison in order to become free. What I am proposing is true freedom and we can look at what it took for these women to find it. You see, these women have lots of time and little distraction in prison to come to God and ask to be released from their prison of sin to enjoy true freedom. We, too, can make time and clear distraction in order to let Jesus lead us to true freedom. True freedom is knowing Christ and his salvation. It is knowing that we are not sent to prison and death because of our sins and mistakes. True freedom is knowing that we are loved and forgiven- all the way to heaven. As one woman shared, a major thing she learned in prison that she is not a mistake even though she made the mistake that sent her to prison. True freedom is not about physically being able to go and do and wherever you want when you want. Rather, it is knowing and living according to the way of Christ which is the way of everlasting life. We see this way of life foreshadowed as Moses is going to lead the Israelites out of the oppression of the Egyptians. Jesus, the New Moses, will come to lead every sinner out of their spiritual prison to the land of true freedom.
St. Paul talks about being set free “from” so that we can be free “for”. Yes, we are set free “from” sin so that we can be free “for” Christ. That is the life of a Christian and that is the way of everlasting. Like St. Paul, let us make ourselves prisoners to Christ. Let us sentence ourselves to Christ who can only set us free. It is being imprisoned to Christ that we find true freedom. You are not a mistake and neither am I. Even the person on death row who made that grave mistake can be set free from the physical and spiritual sentence of death and know true freedom.
Live the confronted life!
+Fr. John
posted by Patti @ 12:47 PM
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