FULLY CATHOLIC

A first look at today's readings can make you wonder what does King David have to do with the Kingdom of God. The first reading and the Gospel appear to be almost opposed to each other.  It is so  easy to distance oneself from what David did in the first reading, after all we have never committed murder, right!?  However, as I ponder deeper on the readings, I can't help but think, "Oh God, truly your word is a light unto my path."  As I read and meditate on the readings over the past week, I marvel at the wonder of our God. How he faithfully reaches out to us and provides examples to direct our lives through the Holy Scriptures.

Today, the most Holy Roman Catholic Church celebrates the great feast of the conversion of St Paul.  For Catholics and Christians, this is a day of great hope as it shows us that nothing, absolutely nothing is impossible with God.  Paul went from being Saul, one of the greatest persecutors of the Church to Paul, one of the greatest evangelists of the Catholic Church.  Under the anointing of the Holy Spirit, not only did he become a believer in the faith, but he converted many thousands and also wrote most of the books in the New Testament.

Catholics confess sins to priests because this is how God wants it to be.  Looking through the bible you will see that this is how God wanted things to be in order for us to receive his forgiveness.  For instance, in James 5:16, the word of God commands us to confess our sins to one another. Note it does not say to confess our sins directly to God nor does it say to confess your sins to God alone; it says confess your sins to one another.

Today's gospel reading is one of my favorite passages as it is filled with drama and it says a lot to us. This passage where Jesus heals the paralyzed man and is taken from Mark's gospel, chapter 2, and it occurs right after Jesus had cured a leper. You may recall that Jesus sternly ordered him not to say anything to anyone about his cure. The Bible tells us that the man went away and started talking about what had happened freely to everyone he met. Mark continues that when Jesus got back to Capernaum, word got around that he was there, and that so many people gathered that there was no room even in front of the door. He was preaching the word to them.