Learning to be Quick to Listen

Sin often infiltrates our lives not with a grand, dramatic entrance, but through subtle, almost imperceptible shifts in our thinking and behavior. We become experts at rationalizing our choices, finding countless justifications for actions that subtly deviate from God's will. This tendency is deeply intertwined with relativistic thinking, where objective truth and moral absolutes are blurred, allowing us to define "good" and "bad" based on personal convenience or societal norms rather than divine command. What might once have been clearly recognized as a transgression slowly becomes an acceptable "gray area," a minor fault, or even a necessary evil. We convince ourselves that our intentions are good, or that the circumstances somehow excuse our actions, effectively blinding ourselves to the gradual accumulation of spiritual debt. The insidious nature of sin's infiltration is precisely its quiet, unannounced arrival. We might engage in gossip, dis...

Without a repentant heart, Christians can risk living out their faith superficially and fail to live out God's desire for " mercy, not sacrifice ," Pope Francis said. Instead, Jesus' love for sinners shows that the church is not "a community of perfect people, but disciples on a path who follow the Lord because they recognize themselves as sinners and in need of his forgiveness," the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square April 13. Jesus' mission is "to search for each one of us, to heal our wounds and call us to follow him with love," he said.  The pope reflected on the Gospel passage, which recounted Jesus calling Matthew to follow him despite the fact he was a tax collector and considered a sinner by the people. Jesus, he said, did not rebuke him for his past but dines with him and "opens up a new future." "There is no saint without a past and there is not sinner without a future. This is beautiful...