For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want . . . Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 7:18-25a)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/102723.cfm
We can all sympathize with Saint Paul because we’ve all been there too. But sin is not the last word. The last word belongs to the Lord . . . and that word is grace. Pope Francis has designated today as a time of fasting, prayer and penance for peace. As the pope says, “We do not belong to any “Caesar” of this world. We are the Lord’s, and we must not be slaves to any earthly power. War is always a defeat, it is a destruction of human fraternity. Brothers, stop! Stop!”
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Day of Fasting, Prayer and Penance for Peace, October 27
