While I do quite a bit of reading in my spare time, I am the first to admit that not all of it is particularly edifying. While I don’t read irredeemable wastes of time like celebrity gossip magazines or, heaven forbid, Jane Austen novels, there are some literary habits of mine that just won’t die off. Chief among them are Wodehouse stories, certain spy novels, and other light, formulaic fare. Once I am used to an author’s style and I have read enough of his or her work, I can usually tell where the story is going long before it gets to the conclusion. Rather than being a letdown, it’s often comforting to see patterns emerge, especially since I’m usually just reading such things for my own enjoyment. But trends and patterns like these don’t emerge solely in the realm of easy reading; they are also found in the greatest literary collection the world has ever seen: Holy Scripture.

While the books of scripture were written over the course of many centuries, the fact that they are all divinely inspired ties them together in the theme of God pursuing humanity and calling us to greater holiness. Perhaps the most important theme in all of scripture is humanity straying from the right path, followed by God healing and forgiving mankind in our sinfulness, then sending us out to proclaim His mercy and bring others to know, love, and serve Him.
It’s found time and again in the Bible because it is part of the human condition.
 
While times and circumstances may change, that dynamic is still alive and well. God creates us and adopts us as His children, and when we stray from His plan for our lives, He calls us back to Himself. When we have received His mercy, we should be filled with a burning desire to go out to the world and tell them how they can find the same healing we have just received. One of the most vivid
definitions of Evangelization that I have ever heard is that it is “one starving man telling another starving man where he can find bread.”

This Lent (like every other Lent) is an opportunity to confront our sins, our
weaknesses, and all the things that hold us back from being disciples who are on fire for Christ. Everyone has sins. Everyone has regrets. But the only difference between a sinner and a saint is that one of them has brought their sins to confession, and the other is still refusing to let them go. This Lent, take advantage of the added opportunities for confession. Before we can evangelize, we must face our brokenness and offer it to Jesus in the Sacrament of mercy. When Easter Morning arrives, may the Risen Lord find us ready to welcome Him with hearts on fire with His mercy and His love.
 
Prayers always,
Fr. McCullough