MONDAY OF THE TWENTY-SECOND WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

-From Christ Is Alive! by Pope Francis:

The second great truth is that Christ, out of love, sacrificed himself completely in order to save you. His outstretched arms on the cross are the most telling sign that he is a friend who is willing to stop at nothing: “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1) St Paul said that his life was one of complete trust in that self-sacrificing love: “I now live by faith in the Son of God who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20) The same Christ who, by his cross, saved us from our sins, today continues to save and redeem us by the power of his total self-surrender. Look to the cross, cling to him, let him save you, for those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. And if you sin and stray far from him, he will come to lift you up by the power of his cross. Never forget that he forgives us seventy times seven. Time and time again, he bears us on his shoulders. No one can strip us of the dignity bestowed upon us by this boundless and unfailing love. With a tenderness that never disappoints but is always capable of restoring our joy, he makes it possible for us to lift up our heads and to start anew.

Father Bill +