Friends and Neighbors, 

Lent is a season when we are particularly called to consider our sins and to amend our ways. Many of the messages we hear in our culture tend to focus on the sins of an individual. The witness of scripture places as much emphasis on corporate sins. In the story of Jonah, the whole city is called to repent. Prophets like Amos deliver the call for all those in power to stop mistreating the poor. In Nehemiah 5, we hear the story of Nehemiah gathering a great assembly to call for the leaders to stop the unfair lending practices harming their community. As faithful people, we are called to consider the ways that our life together touches the lives of others. 

We have an opportunity to gather a great assembly on April 8 at the Knoxville Civic Center for the Justice Knox Nehemiah Action. We gather to acknowledge that some among us carry heavy burdens, and we will call on leaders to make commitments that can ease those burdens. Your presence at the Nehemiah Action makes a difference. In this action, we address important community issues. These are concerns that disproportionately affect poor and vulnerable folks in our community. We take responsibility for these challenges in our world by acts of mercy and by calling for just actions. Join us in this work and bring your friends. 

Justice Ministry is one way we seek to repent of our shared sins as a community. I know some of us might cringe at the use of the word "sin" as it is often associated with blame and shame. The call to love God and neighbor is broken when our societal structures create burdens for the vulnerable. By seeking justice and doing mercy, we actively repent of the break in relationship, and our actions express hope that we can make a difference in our world. We don't get stuck in blaming ourselves or others. We confess that hearts and minds can be transformed so that we can see our failures and accept responsibility for change. 

A change in perspective, the way we see things, is a kind of conversion. In a faithful life, we find that conversion isn't a one-time thing. As we grow in living our faith together, we see things in different ways. Look again at your ideas about sin and forgiveness. Consider the things done and left undone as a community. Turn again with hope to our Lord who fed the hungry when people said that there wasn't enough, raised those who were dead, and proclaimed forgiveness of our sins. Know that you can be forgiven and transformed. Know also that our communities can be changed by our loving actions. 

Peace, 

Fr. John Mark