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TODAY’S WORD…

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Jesus said,

“I tell you the truth,

all sin and blasphemy can be forgiven,

but anyone who blasphemes the Holy Spirit

will never be forgiven.

This is a sin with eternal consequences.”

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– Mark 3:28-29 (GNT)

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REFLECTION…

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To blaspheme the Holy Spirit,

does not properly consist in offending against the Holy Spirit in words;

it consists rather in the refusal to accept

the salvation which God offers to man through the Holy Spirit,

working through the power of the cross.

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Such blasphemy is to reject the Holy Spirit,

to refuse radically to recognise sin and repent of it,

and to block the healing and forgiveness offered by the Lord.

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So the sin is not unforgivable because of its seriousness,

but because the sinner lacks the proper disposition to seek forgiveness

and, thereby, to be forgiven.

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How can the Lord forgive us

and reconcile us to a sharing in His life

if we refuse to recognise the sin as a sin

and to say,

“Please forgive me, Lord, for I have sinned against You

…and against my neighbour”?

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This hardness of heart

leads to a sustained and firm rejection of the love and mercy of God,

which in turn leads to damnation.

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[Today’s reflection is from an explanation by Fr William P. Saunders of CatholicStraightAnswers.com]

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PRAYER…

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Lord,

I recognise that I have sinned against You

and against my neighbour,

out of self-centeredness

and lack of love.

Please forgive me.

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I am sorry and beg pardon for all my sins,

and detest them above all things,

because they have crucified my loving Saviour Jesus Christ

and, most of all, because they offend Your infinite goodness.

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And I firmly resolve, by the help of Your grace,

never to offend You again,

and to carefully avoid the occasions of sin.

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I love You, Lord God.

Forgive me, Lord God.

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Amen.

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REPETITIVE PRAYER FOR TODAY…

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I love You, Lord God.

Forgive me, Lord God.

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