Never too late for sorry

By KATE BLAIN- | Comments: 0 | Leave a comment

Think about something bad you once did. Maybe you called someone a terrible name, stole from a store or told a secret you promised not to tell.

Did you ever say you were sorry? Did you talk to the person and God about it? If you didn't, how do you feel now?

Everyone feels guilty sometimes for doing something wrong and not trying to fix it. But in this week's Gospel (Luke 23:35-43), Jesus tells us it's never too late to say we're sorry and feel better!

As Jesus was dying on the cross, people made fun of Him. Even a criminal being crucified at the same time yelled at Jesus: "Save yourself and us!" But another criminal said, "Shut up! We're getting what we deserve, but Jesus didn't do anything wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Remember me when you get to heaven." Jesus promised, "You will be with me there."

When you do something bad and don't say you're sorry, it's hard to forget it. Even if it happened a long time ago, you still think of what you did and wish you could change it. Even if no one found out you did something like stealing, you remember and feel guilty.

The two criminals dying next to Jesus had done terrible things. They were thieves who spent their whole lives stealing from people. One of them wasn't even sorry, but the other felt bad about it.

If you've done something wrong and still feel guilty, it's not too late to say you're sorry. You can go to the person you hurt and tell them, so both of you can feel better. You can pray, and write about what you did and how you feel. Best of all, you can go to what we call the "Sacrament of Reconciliation": talking to a priest about how sorry you are and getting God's forgiveness.

That's what the thieves who died with Jesus found out. One guy thought it was too late to say he was sorry -- after all, he was already dying! But the other asked Jesus for forgiveness and got the same answer God gives us, if we're sorry for our mistakes: "I'll see you in heaven!"