The Miraculous Draught of Fishes by Raphael, via Wikimedia Commons
Lord, why did you enlighten a soul so dark?
Why did you capture a soul that constantly tries to flee from you?
Why did you purify a soul so foul?
I shudder when I think of the horrors that were in store for me,
if I had continued on the path which I was treading.
But even now I feel that hell is the only proper place for me.
O God, I want to hide from you,
because I feel too filthy and ugly to appear in your presence.
Yet whenever I try to escape from you,
I find that you are still with me,
because your presence is everywhere.
Weeping brings me no peace or comfort,
and repentance seems to bring no sense of forgiveness.
St. Catherine of Genoa, 1447-1510, Italian Catholic mystic
___________________
When Simon Peter realized what had happened,
he fell to his knees before Jesus and said,
“Oh, Lord, please leave me—I’m such a sinful man.”
prayer & verse 
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What a powerful painting, capturing the despair of someone who recognizes his sinfulness in the light of Christ’s holiness. I have often thought what my life would have been had not Jesus redeemed me…and I was rescued at an early age! But my propensity to sin is still evident. I am praising God for his forgiveness, his love, and his indwelling Spirit.
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