On the Seventeenth Sunday of Ordinary Time we hear St. Paul remind us that Jesus obliterated the bond of sin against us, setting us free from condemnation by anyone. So while we still must make restitution for our transgressions, they cannot be held against us.
On this Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, we are called to receive his heart into our own hearts, not in abject obedience, but in a loving following of him who gave his life for us—serving him out of love who served us out of love.
God promised Abram and Sarai a child, but when that promise was slow in coming, they decided to have Abram sleep with Sarai's maidservant Hagar instead. This was a bad decision, but God still kept his promise to Abram and Sarai, and God made the descendents of Ishmael, Hagar's child, more numerous than one could count. God is not limited by our bad decisions, and whether or not we are faithful, God's plans will come to pass.
Jesus says, "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now." A reflection on why God sometimes withholds understanding and how the Holy Spirit transforms us to receive divine truth.
Paul and Silas's response to their suffering is to sing. This shows their patience, not a worldly patience, which is to simply endure suffering, but a Christian patience which spring out of a knowledge that God will make all things right in the end.
