REPENT AND BELIEVE IN THE GOSPEL

 

“All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God.”          Rom. 3:23

I, an ordained deacon in the Roman Catholic Church, am a sinner.  I write this not as a boast, but out of humility for regrettable personal decisions I have made in denying God’s love.  In essence, I have at times placed myself first and God second because of my need or want for instant gratification.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, sin is an offense against God: “Against You, You alone, have I sinned; what is evil in Your sight I have done.” Ps. 51:6                           (Paragraph 1850)

It also is an offense against reason, truth and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods.  It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity.  It has been defined as “an utterance, a deed or a desire contrary to the eternal law,”                                                                (Paragraph 1849)

Though I realize that a mortal sin versus a venial sin puts me in danger of not receiving the gift of eternal life, what bothers me more is that I have damaged my relationship with God.  I have both pushed God to the side and have allowed Satan an opening into my heart.

What I need to do before making a decision that could become a sin is to stop and think about what I profess in being the disciple I espouse to be.  I am like the soldier whose job it was to hammer Jesus onto the cross, not to consider who this man was he was helping to kill.  It’s my definition for what sin nature is: Doing without thinking.

Psalm 51, the fourth and most famous of the Penitential Psalms written by King David when Nathan, the prophet, came to him after his sin with Bathsheba, best explains for me how I feel after any sin I commit.  It’s a wakeup call that I have offended God, that I need His forgiveness and that as His disciple I always need to have a humble and contrite heart to avoid sin and to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ in thought, word and deed.

Thank God Jesus, out of His love and mercy, realizes in our weakness we fall short of being in the state of grace and forgives our sinful nature.  We need to take it seriously and change our ways to follow the heart of Jesus more than what we think is best for us.  That is what repentance is about: Making the changes necessary to stay in the state of grace.

Of all the liturgical seasons we celebrate in the Church year, Lent is that special time we can contemplate and meditate on the depth of our love for God.  It provides us with an opportunity through the scriptures we read and hear at Mass about how God in His infinite wisdom allows us to search our hearts to love more deeply this gift of life God gives us.

Let us take this time of Lent to be closer to God by attending Mass as often as possible, praying daily to communicate our love for God and doing a good deed either through an opportunity offered or by reaching out to those in need.  Focusing on the ways of the Lord in our life will provide us with more selfless ways to enrich our relationship and less to give Satan a chance to push evil personally and on others.