1st Sunday of Lent 26 February 2023 Confronting our sin
Lent has many aspects. It is a time of reflection on one’s
spiritual life, a time of reparation for sin, of prayer, fasting and
almsgiving.
When it comes to sin a lot of people will say they don’t
have any!
We have sayings like, Nobody is perfect. If that is true
then everyone must have some sin, otherwise we would be perfect.
But many will say, No, I have done nothing wrong (in what
could be many years since the last Confession).
Look at any detailed Examination of Conscience. Particularly
we need to watch the interior attitudes.
There is confusion between on one hand having no sin, and
therefore not needing forgiveness; and on the other hand, Yes we have sinned but
we can be forgiven by God, who is rich in mercy.
The two positions come out with a happy ending. In both
cases we are in a state of grace, in union with God. But the first position is
usually in error, as we see when we look closely enough at all our thoughts,
words and deeds.
In recent years in the Church we have placed more emphasis
on the good that we have done, rather than in dwelling on the sin. A more
positive approach, generally.
It is good to be affirmed by each other and to feel good
about ourselves, but we must be realistic and not just brush over our faults as
though they do not matter.
We owe it to God to give Him the best we have. Yes, He loves
us anyway, even if we burn down the town hall, but we may not be loving Him,
and that is an essential part of how salvation works.
You could love Jack the Ripper, as a person, but that does
not make him a good man. He still has to face his sin and make reparation.
Loving is wanting what is best for the other person, and
that means ultimately union with God.
We do not try to assess the goodness or badness of another
person, merely hope for the best, and help each other to improve.
It is important to get these things right or we will be
blunting the strong reaction that we need to have towards sin.
A lot less Catholics go to Confession these days, and one
reason would be the idea that if God loves us, it does not really matter so much
what we do.
We pray for change of heart in unrepentant sinners. This is
one of our main jobs in this life.
Some people are saints, but most are not. We must become
saints, if not canonised, then at least part of the heavenly choir, the galaxy
of saints who see the face of God.
The Church has made it easy for us with Confession, whereby
in privacy and secrecy one can be forgiven and make a fresh start.
If in doubt, it is better to follow the direction of the
Church which encourages Confession, in joyful trust in God's mercy.
Some sins are harder to find than others but we can probably
find at least the worst or biggest.
One should have purpose of amendment as well, but that will
come with grace. If we are at least partially contrite we will receive grace to
become more so.
We are sick and need the Doctor (Mt 9,12).
This takes nothing away from the desire to think well of those
we love.
Summary: we freely acknowledge our sins; asking the Lord to reveal
them to us (Ps 139,24), leading us to appropriate contrition, and a firm
purpose of amendment; realizing we cannot do this on our own but can do it with
His help.
Confessionals should be bulging with people who thirst for
this closer union with God.
May this Lent be a time of real progress in our response to
God's love.
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