With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption

by Deacon José Reyes  |  06/09/2024  |  From the Clergy

Taking responsibility for our actions is something that many people struggle with, especially when our actions have led us to sin. I remember a priest at a Penance Service giving instructions for those seeking the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and he said “please, just confess your sin, do not try to justify it”.

It seems from the very beginning we have tried to justify our sins, as if finding a justification would diminish the gravity of the sin. Adam blamed Eve, “The woman whom you put here with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it”. Eve blamed the serpent, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it”. They both tried to blame someone else and did not accept responsibility for their own actions.

Confessing our sins should be as straight forward as when we confess our sins at Mass, “I confess … that I have greatly sinned, through my thoughts and in my words, in what I have done, and in what I have failed to do”. This we have done “through my fault” and not somebody else’s fault. It was I that decided to sin, it was I who made the decision.

Let us reconcile with God for our sins with the hope that “With the Lord there is mercy, and fullness of redemption”.

- Deacon José Reyes