A priest once gave a conference on the Gospel when Peter first met Christ, after the large catch of fish (see Lk 5:1-11 http://www.usccb.org/bible/luke/5). Peter met Christ and immediately experienced all his sinfulness internally. When I embarked on the road of communion of life with Christ through Mary, I started discovering more and more of my sinfulness and weakness. I reacted just like St. Peter and told Jesus to get away from me. I was full of shame. But, I have come to see that St. Peter’s first reaction was wrong (more than once in the Gospel)! Peter’s sinfulness was not an obstacle for Jesus, it was the REASON he was called by Him. Jesus immediately straightened him out, inviting him to catch men not fish. Jesus did not come for the healthy, but for the sick – the sinners! That must mean Jesus came for me.
Often the realization of my sinfulness and weakness of faith paralyzes me. But, the spirituality of communion of life with Christ through Mary is helping me to look at it in a totally different way. The awareness of my weakness and sinfulness can give me the wings for God’s action! This spirituality emphasizes the might of God, recognizing that a person usually only experiences this if he/she first experiences his/her own weakness. We live in a country that emphasizes “believe in yourself” and “be strong.” This spirituality is teaching me that although I see my weakness, I need to focus more on being in God’s hands, and therefore see HIS strength in me! This strength is not built on my pride, but on the power of God!
Meanwhile, even these joyful lessons can be heard and longed for inside of me, but I still struggle to believe it with all my heart, mind and soul. Therefore, I choose to accept Jesus’ entrustment of me to His mother Mary exactly because of my weak faith! She is transforming me, opening me to believe that I am loved as I am. With Her, I have “HIGH HOPES!” Praise be to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
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