Today's Good News Reflection

What is your Babylon? Read today's first scripture selection and think of Babylon as something in yourself that needs to be thrown into the sea. Selfishness is one example, or any sin that you have not yet overcome. Imagine it as a huge millstone. This is a haunt for demons, a cage for every unclean spirit, a prison that has locked up a part of your life and is barring God from touching you and healing you.

If you desire to overcome it, an angel with great authority picks it up and tosses it like a pebble into the sea. It quickly sinks into the murky depths where you can see it no longer. Not even God can see it, because the only thing he's looking at is the Jesus in you. You're glowing with the goodness you received from Jesus in your baptism. God is absolutely, totally in love with you.

This is what happens in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

"Blessed are they who are called to the wedding feast of the Lamb." In the symbolic language of the Book of Revelation, the Lamb is Christ and the wedding day is the beginning of God's reign. Every time we seek forgiveness for our sins with a sincere desire to change, we renew the vows of our wedding day. God's reign begins anew in our lives, but now more fully than ever!

This is also what happens in the Sacrament of the Eucharist if we sincerely examine our consciences before Mass and desire to become holy in Christ. The entire Liturgy is a wedding feast. At the beginning of the celebration, we put on the white wedding gown during the Penitential Rite. Then as the bride of Christ, we walk down the aisle to become one with our Lord in Holy Communion. At the final blessing, we leave the church to show our spouse to the world.

This is also what happens in the Sacrament of Marriage.

When couples live together unmarried or they wed without the sacrament, they really don't understand the Holy Communion they're denying to their relationship. Weddings are meant to be reflections of the Great Wedding Feast of the Lamb, and marriages are meant to be reflections of the union between Christ and his beloved Church.

When sacramentally united couples attend Mass together, their commitment is re-energized, the banquet of the Eucharist heals disunity and empowers them to love each other even in the most difficult of circumstances, and they are sent forth with a final blessing to show the world what Christ's undying love is like.

Regardless of whether you are married or single, divorced or widowed, priest or religious, Jesus is absolutely, totally in love with you. He wants to enjoy total communion with you! Do whatever it takes to enter fully into that union.

To help you reflect on the topic of this issue, meditate with our video, "Understanding the Mass - Penitential Rite" @ gnm-media.org/3-take-eat-drink-understanding-mass-penitential-rite/.