The preface for today’s Mass is as follows; “As I live, says the Lord, I do not desire the death of the sinner, but rather that he turn back and live.”
In any consideration of creation and all it contains, must involve an acknowledgement that God created the world and all it involves not because it added anything to Him that was lacking, He wanted to express his perfect love, and made us so that we might share in that same love.
From the perspective of almighty God, no one is an accident, an afterthought, or a random being but desired by God from all eternity, given a particular vocation to live, to love and to share the joy of paradise for all eternity. Consequently, no one is specifically made for eternal damnation. Yet in offering new life in Christ, the Lord does not impose His gift on anyone. Even in human activity, no gift can be forced on a person, it must indeed be received freely. We are called to respond freely to His grace.
Our Salvation is only at risk if we reject God, His laws, and the very gift of salvation through out own fault. The text quoted earlier, used in this morning’s Mass, is a reminder of the great love that God has for us. That same love is offered to us constantly. It is something that is given in such a fashion, that we are indeed able to recognise our faults and our failings, to realise our need for God. That the Lord does indeed wish us to set out to retrace that root that leads to heaven, that narrow path.
In this Lenten season, we are called to turn back, to reset ourselves. May the grace of this lent, be given to us in abundance. May through our humility, our openness, our own love of God, enable us to receive those same graces so that we may be given a change of heart wherever it is needed. That we may indeed turn back to God and live.