Is The Good News of Great Joy In Your Pocket?
Good news of great joy was deposited with the Church for it to freely distribute to the children of Adam and Eve. Is it in your pocket? Or is your pocket empty? When a beggar who hungers and thirsts for God accosts you, what do you pull out of your pocket to give him? Jesus deposited good news of great joy with the Church with regard to death, suffering and sin. Do you have the words?
The Good News of Great Joy
In the narrative of salvation that passed from the Crucifixion, through his bloody wounds , to the Resurrection, Jesus revealed to us a fair and accurate representation of God. Jesus unmasked the mystery of God and, in doing so, revealed to us God's true identity . The good news of great joy is a byproduct of the revelation. Jesus's unmasking of the mystery of God produced good news of great joy with regard to death, suffering and sin.
The Good News of Great Joy is this: We tortured and killed him. He suffered and died. Yet, he emerged from the dead still alive and still in love with us. He did not stay dead and did not stop loving us. He continued to love us nonetheless. Why didn't his love for us fade as we tortured him? Why didn't his love for us die when we killed him? This is the great mystery whose stewardship God entrusted to his Church .
"Who are you?" We shouted our harsh question at him in the Crucifixion. "I am your God who comes to rescue you from your dire predicament in the valley of tears" he whispered his gentle answer to us in the Resurrection. The good news of great joy with regard to death is that he will help us pass through it. The good news of great joy with regard to life is that he showed us that maintaining our grip on love is the grease that lubricates our passage through the valley of tears. The good news of great joy with regard to sin is that he recognizes our repentance. He showed us the passage through death, through life and through sin . Accept the gifts he is offering you. Acceptance is by repentance.