Leveraging our sinfulness

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

IT’S a given that we are all sinners. No matter how much we try to be sinless, we still manage to fall into sin one way or another, sooner or later. We should just acknowledge this condition of ours, and do what we need to do to properly deal with that fact of life.

We are assured that God’s mercy is always available. We should not waste time in availing ourselves of it everytime we fall. We know that as dramatized in the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin and the prodigal son, it is God’s joy to forgive. In fact, our repentance causes, as those parables illustrated, a great joy in heaven.

We should just imitate the example of that woman who barged into a dinner party where Christ was and gave him the finer details of devotion by washing his feet with tears, wiping them with her hair, kissing his feet and anointing them with ointment. (cfr. Lk 7,36-50) Christ praised that woman and faulted the host of that dinner party for being judgmental.

That woman used her sinfulness and the mercy she received from Christ to show great love and devotion to Christ. This is what we should also do, considering that we too are doubtlessly recipients of God’s mercy for our sinfulness. That would help us to be more consistent in our love for God, and to grow stronger and more resistant to our weaknesses and the many temptations around.

We can always expect God’s mercy no matter how grave our sins are. Precisely, St. Paul expressed this truth when he said: “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound.” (Rom 5,20) It’s always worthwhile to keep this assurance of St. Paul in mind given our earthly condition that is so prone to temptations and sins.

We should just acknowledge our sinfulness which is a clear mark of a good, humble, if not a holy a person. When one acknowledges his own faults and weaknesses, and more so, of his own mistakes and sins, he is truly getting real and is not deluding himself into living a self-contained, make-believe world.

And if he does something about them, being sorry and atoning for them, learning from them and developing the appropriate virtues, then he is corresponding to God’s will, which is what is most important in our life.

This is the beauty of this attitude which we should try our best to cultivate in ourselves. Acknowledging our sinfulness attracts God to us. Ever full of mercy and compassion, as shown by Christ himself, God can never be indifferent to our weaknesses and predicaments. He will rush to help and comfort us, and will always offer forgiveness.

We should also remember that Christ has a special affection for those who have fallen into sin. He may be angered as an initial reaction, but mercy will always prevail. He would be willing to go to great lengths just to save a sinner.

On our part, we should be quick to go to Christ whenever we fall. We may feel shame and fear at the beginning, but we should try to overcome that merely human reaction as quickly as possible. We should let the truth of faith about God’s mercy guide us.

Acknowledging our sinfulness does us a lot of good. It deepens our humility, keeps us simple and prevents us from falling into further complications, leading us to a working spirit of penance that would purify us and make up for our sins. It puts us in the proper condition for further spiritual growth, giving us greater intimacy with God and closer relationship with others.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com