We are all aware that God is forgiving and loving, this is the foundation of our very faith.
We believe Jesus came to die and save humanity; a people who were in rebellion against him. This love is His primary commandment and guided his mission here on earth.
However, even though it isn’t hard to see Jesus as the loving Man-God that he is, the full extent of his love for me can elude any one of us sometimes. This is because we think, “Oh this is the limit, He couldn’t possibly forgive me this one”. But think about it, what can you possibly do that would be worse than murdering the Son of God?
Yet, Jesus forgave all who took part in his death on the cross. Not only this, God brought out the most good from this apparent sacrilege. Now, we can be saved, because of this heinous crime!
The problem with most of us is, we know in theory that God can forgive us anything. We tell people who are despairing “Be strong, God will forgive you, just go to confession and be sorry”. And we are right, if we repent our sins sincerely, God forgives us completely. But when it is our turn to forgive ourselves, our premature consciences refuse to let go completely too.
Forgiving Ourselves
Letting go is remembering we are prone to certain sins and working hard to stay away from anything that can remotely put us in danger of even sin, albeit venial. It means remembering that God has shown us great mercy and living in gratitude. Which gratitude is shown by living and serving him with joy and by forgiving our neighbours and serving God in them. Most importantly it means forgiving ourselves the way God has forgiven us.
When the devil sees how much we punish ourselves for sins already forgiven, he exploits this weakness. Consider Judas and Peter, i am sure you must know where this is going. Judas would have been forgiven if he asked. Peter was ashamed as much as he was, but had the courage to face Jesus again and receive mercy.
Jesus the perfect saw himself in Peter the broken
After his fall, Jesus saw him, no longer as the man prone to violence but as a temperate man who is capable of leading his flock. Basically, Jesus saw himself in Peter even though he was broken like us.
Therefore, the next time you fall, resolve to keep striving. No matter how hard, or how many times you fall after that never give up! Never surrender to the temptation of believing you are worth nothing to God. Keep trying, keep going back to Him, keep being sincere in your resolutions. I give you my word: God will NEVER abandon those who suffer in sin. Yes, sin for the sincere-hearted is suffering. You are prone to doing things that make you sad, that make you feel low. Things that are opposites of what you want to do. God will grant you freedom someday, maybe in this life, maybe in the next. But where the devil should NEVER be allowed in is your heart, where you decide “God is always my father”.
An act of Contrition
0 my God! I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of heaven and the pains of hell, but most of all because they offended Thee, my God, who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of Thy grace, to confess my sins, to do penance, and to amend my life.
(Make a firm resolution to avoid evil, and to do good.)
Adorable Jesus! Divine model of that perfection to which we should all aspire! I will endeavour this day to follow Thy example; to be mild, humble, chaste, zealous, patient, charitable and resigned. Incline my heart to keep Thy commandments. I am resolved to watch over myself with the greatest diligence, and to live soberly, justly and piously for the time to come. I will take care of my ways, that I may not offend with my tongue. I will turn away my eyes, that they may not see vanity, and I will be particularly attentive not to relapse this day into my accustomed failings, but to struggle against them with Thy gracious, assistance. Enlighten my mind, purify my heart and guide my steps, that I may pass all my life in Thy Divine Service. Amen.
