Sunday, July 1st
Jesus said, "I tell you,
there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Luke 15:10

Let no-one conceive too narrowly the arena of man's sinfulness. It is not difficult to identify the reprobate, the blatant sinner who defies the known laws of humanity and harms himself in the process. But who but the loving Heavenly Father can know how far this proceeds from a sick heart and mind or from the failure of family or society to his well-being?

The child of the Father who seeing the path laid open for him turns aside through perversity or attraction from worldly pursuits compromises his own soul, and unless he stops in his tracks and retraces his steps may lose his way and never find the way of perfection. Or he who culpably procrastinates, intending one day to seek the Father's Presence and the way forward that the Father wills for him, he is as the vine which yields no fruit. How will he respond at the Day of Judgment?

For each and every child of the Father there must be one turning and many, many occasions of repentance if he is to know the fullness of joy. After the first offering of the self in love and self-giving must come the discipline of repentance in failure. Then will that child of the Father learn to identify with all the angels of God in the Father's forgiveness.