In Articles, Best of the Week

God Never Gives Up on You (The Inner Life)

John Hanrettyby John Hanretty

Have you ever wondered whether your past sins have put you beyond God’s mercy?

On The Inner Life, a caller named Rob shared a moving story. Raised in a deeply faithful family, he drifted away from God later in life and spent years trapped in serious sin. Now nearly 80, Rob has returned to the Church, attends daily Mass, and strives to live faithfully. Yet he still struggles with sadness and he questions whether he is truly on the right path.

Fr. John Eckert pointed him to one of Scripture’s most hopeful passages: Luke 15. In the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, heaven rejoices whenever someone returns to God. The focus is not on the wandering. It is on the celebration that follows.

“What man among you having a hundred sheep and losing one of them would not leave the ninety-nine in the desert and go after the lost one until he finds it? And when he does find it, he sets it on his shoulders with great joy and, upon his arrival home, he calls together his friends and neighbors and says to them, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ I tell you, in just the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need of repentance.” (Luke 15:4-7)

“The fact of the matter here is, Rob, you came back.”

Fr. Eckert reminded him that God’s mercy is greater than any past failure. The Lord has already lifted him up and welcomed him home. Rather than remaining trapped in regret, Rob is called to live fully in the present, grateful for the gift of reconciliation and the grace found in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Drawing from The Screwtape Letters, Fr. Eckert noted that the enemy wants us stuck in the past through shame or worried about the future through fear. God meets us in the present moment.

For anyone burdened by old sins, Rob’s story offers a powerful reminder: if you have returned to the Lord, rejoice. His mercy is real, His forgiveness is complete, and His Sacred Heart remains open to all who come home.

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John Hanretty

John Hanretty

John Hanretty serves as a Digital Media Producer for Relevant Radio®. He is a graduate of the Gupta College of Business at the University of Dallas. Besides being passionate about writing, his hobbies include drawing and digital design. You can read more of his daily articles at relevantradio.com and on the Relevant Radio® app.