Sinner leads

Today the texts of the Roman Catholic Lectionary invite us to join Jorge Mario Bergoglio, Pope Francis, in proclaiming our person as simply, "I am a sinner." The reality of sin in the world is not difficult to confirm. Our twitter feed or our news update certainly can show events of genocide, oppression and treatment of our brothers and sisters in ways which are far from the Golden Rule which always seeks the good of others for their sake. We sometimes interpret the teaching of Jesus about our relationship to others as work of the intervention of God rather than our way of experiencing and witnessing to the power of God in our lives to act for others. Friar Jude Winkler comments that the text in the passage from the Prophet Hosea indicates that God intervenes after a period of three days. The three day symbolism is predictive of Jesus passion yet the question of when God intervenes is real and difficult for believers. The tension between the action of God which is always for our best interests and the transformation of ourfocus and motivation to be in accord with the Will of God takes time. The humility of the tax collector described in the Gospel of Luke today reminds JayCarney of Creighton University of the dangers of religiosity as demonstrated by the Pharisee, observant to the forms, traditions and liturgies of the Temple, but without the deep insight of the tax collector and the Pope that we struggle in sin which requires our transformation through living in the Body of Christ to see the work we must do for the benefit of all our brothers and sisters with whom we live daily.