What Makes The Kingdom Come Is Heartfelt

The Ragamuffin Gospel Reveals That Jesus Forgives Sins, Including The Sins Of The Flesh; That He Is Comfortable With Sinners Who Remember How To Show Compassion; But That He Cannot And Will Not Have A Relationship With Pretenders In The Spirit.

Too Many Christians Are Living In A House Of Fear And Not In The House Of Love.

Grace Abounds In Contemporary Movies, Books, Novels, Films And Music. If God Is Not In The Whirlwind, He May Be In A Woody Allen Film, Or A Bruce Springsteen Concert. Most People Understand Imagery And Symbol Better Than Doctrine And Dogma. Images Touch Hearts And Awaken Imaginations. One Theologian Suggested That Springsteen's 'tunnel Of Love' Album, In Which He Symbolically Sings Of Sin, Death, Despair And Redemption, Is More Important For Catholics Than The Pope's Last Visit When He Spoke Of Morality Only In Doctrinal Propositions.

The Saved Sinner Is Prostrate In Adoration, Lost In Wonder And Praise. He Knows Repentance Is Not What We Do In Order To Earn Forgiveness; It Is What We Do Because We Have Been Forgiven. It Serves As An Expression Of Gratitude Rather Than An Effort To Earn Forgiveness. Thus The Sequence Of Forgiveness And Then Repentance, Rather Than Repentance And Then Forgiveness, Is Crucial For Understanding The Gospel Of Grace.

Authentic Faith Leads Us To Treat Others With Unconditional Seriousness And To A Loving Reverence For The Mystery Of The Human Personality. Authentic Christianity Should Lead To Maturity, Personality, And Reality. It Should Fashion Whole Men And Women Living Lives Of Love And Communion. False, Manhandled Religion Produces The Opposite Effect. Whenever Religion Shows Contempt Or Disregards The Rights Of Persons, Even Under The Noblest Pretexts, It Draws Us Away From Reality And God.