In the psalm from yesterday’s reading, we see the prayer for God to create in us a clean heart. This is a call for deeper conversion. We always seek to be converted to Christ more and more. Those who think they have no need for more conversion usually are farthest from God, while the saints including Mother Teresa and St. Paul declared themselves the worst of all sinners still in need of deeper conversion.

Meanwhile, we see the words of Jesus in the Gospel where he castigates Peter after the apostle is concerned that Jesus would suffer at the hands of the leaders of the Jews. Jesus warns that he is thinking in worldly terms. This reflects to us our  deepest need of conversion that we must think as agents of the Kingdom not as agents of the world.

Jesus explains that upon Peter, He will build His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against her. Fr. Frank Pavone teaches that you do not find gates on a battlefield. Gates are a defensive weapon that protect the entrance way to the kingdom or the palace. Therefore, if the gates will not prevail against the Church, the Church is the aggressor, not the kingdom of Hell. We seek to free people who are in darkness and break the chains of those who are prisoner of sin, darkness and addiction. We do that by using our prime weapon which is to stand in grace and speak the truth to the power of darkness.

We continue our mission recognizing that we are not on the defense, it is the kingdom of darkness that is, and you and I have a calling to bring it down by living the gospel, staying close to the sacraments and allowing God to create for us everyday a cleaner heart.

God bless you,

Fr. Robert J Carr