~ Sinners ~

~ Sinners ~

You are a sinner, but no more so than I am. In fact, with all of the evidence I have at my disposal, I would have to say that I am a far worse sinner, for all I know about you is that you are human and, as such, are guilty of the human condition of sin. But I, I know each one of my sins. I can recall each one though I struggle to forget them. And although I may never forget them, I put much effort every day into making sure you never discover them. Why? Because I am ashamed of myself and what I have done with the blessings the Lord has given me.

That's one of the things I love about the saints; they were human, too, and as guilty of sin as you and I. Many people think of St. Mary Magdalene as one of the best examples of a converted sinner, but are there not many others? St. Paul persecuted Christians; St. Longinus wielded the weapon that pierced the side of Christ. And yet they were all converted to the Lord and, I have faith, are now in Heaven with Him. I could name many other saints, but I do not know of what sins they were guilty. A part of me wishes I did. I try to look to the saints for inspiration in all areas of my life and repentance is one I really struggle with. All of the explicit examples of Heavenly forgiveness are a great help in guiding me toward a fuller reconciliation with Jesus Christ.

I am a sinner now, but I hope one day to be a saint. I know that being a saint is a struggle, but I also  know that it is far from an impossibility. You can be a saint, too, if you open your heart to the Lord. Every day, every moment - pray as often as you can to be converted to the Lord and to resist the temptation to sin. If you are afraid that you might not have quite the right words to say, don't worry; remember that God is good, God is just. Remember that He loves you, and remember the beautiful prayer that Jesus taught us:

Our Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done, on Earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

May the good Lord bless you today and every day with His peace.

ACTS 26:29 - Food for Thought

ACTS 26:29

And Paul said, “Whether short or long, I would to God that not only you but also all who hear me this day might become such as I am—except for these chains.” ~ ACTS: 26:29

Food for thought:

Do you want others to become as you are? If not, why not? And how can you take a step toward this end?

I would not be happy if others became as I am. I know my own sins all too well to want others to become like me. There are parts of me that I think are capable of brightening the world a great deal, but as a complete package, I am one sorry mess of a person. 

Still, I have inside me a light that shines, and that is enough of a start to give me hope that I can kindle that flame and make it so bright that the world can't help but see it - and come to love the Lord as much as I do and even more. 

To make it to that end, I will endeavor to pray always - to make my life a living prayer, an offering to the Lord. I will also endeavor to surround myself with people who will inspire me in my faith, encourage me along my journey, and who will be an example to me of how to be the kind of light I want to be for others. 

Lord Jesus, please help me to become the child of Christ that You made me to be. Amen.

The Versatility of Sin

~ The Versatility of Sin ~

Most people seem to remember rather clearly events from their childhood; events that occurred before they entered kindergarten. I'm not one of them, but I do have memories that are like movies, except they happened to me. Of the clearest (and possibly worst) memory I have is of the first time I recognized that I had sinned.

I'm convinced there are two sins that nearly all humans commit at some time during their childhood. One, we are unkind to another. And two, we lie. What I consider my first sin probably falls into both categories. It wasn't something you would think of us as terrible, and maybe you wouldn't consider it a sin - but just because we think it's not that bad doesn't mean that it doesn't hurt somebody else, and don't all sins hurt Our Lord?

All I did was participate in a joke. "Do you have the bottle cap?" "No." - while it was hiding in my hand. At first, I thought it was funny, then, almost instantly, I realized it was a lie. In shock, I returned the bottle cap to my sister. While I am no better at it than anyone else, I do think that is how we should always react to our own sins: with shock that we were capable of committing them.

Lies and unkind words are, of course, not the only sins, and I'd argue, if you were to rate them, probably not the worst of them. But what becomes of a little white lie like mine? From there I became a college student who lied to nearly everyone she knew. And then started dating someone whose number one deal breaker was being lied to.

I had to learn how to tell the truth rather quickly. It wasn't easy to do. And when you tell the truth, people don't always expect it. When someone asks you how you're doing and you're feeling absolutely miserable, do you say "fine" just to get them to leave you alone? That's a lie, too. I know it sounds ridiculous, but there really isn't a fine line between a white lie and a black lie; there's no line at all. The more practice you have at something, the better you get at it, and so it is with sins. They eat you from the inside.

I am no saint. When I was a child I hoped to be one, but I have come to the realization that I am too much of a sinner to probably ever be a saint. But, I can be better than I am. I can pray - to my patron saints, my guardian angels, the poor souls in Purgatory, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the Persons of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit - that they may help me resist the temptation to sin so that I may bring myself and those whose lives I to a closer relationship with Christ Our Lord.

And if you have a sin that you feel is impossible to conquer, take courage from the saints. Many of them were terrible sinners who still found the mercy of God when they turned to Him. Also, pray often. It doesn't have to be a longer prayer. "Lord, help me," is a prayer that is very short, but can do much good if prayed with the heart.

God bless each of you and may He grant you perseverance as you battle against your personal temptations to sin. May He shower you with His love and forgiveness and may you always feel Him at your side, holding His hand out, waiting for you to come to Him.