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.