Let’s acknowledge our sins

AT the beginning of every Holy Mass that we celebrate, we

are asked to acknowledge our sins “to prepare ourselves to celebrate

the sacred mysteries.” I have always found this part of the Mass very

meaningful, since I believe it is a necessity that we do so.

   

            Without it, we would miss the true significance of the

redemptive Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, which the Mass

sacramentalizes. We would not be properly disposed to enter into the

happy mystery of our salvation.

  

            Actually, I consider that part a good reminder about the

reality of our sinfulness and at the same time, the happy reality of

the constant love of God for us, he who will do everything to bring us

back to him.

  

            Yes, it is a part that reminds us of our proneness to sin

because we can get so easily intoxicated by the many good things God

endows and blesses us with that we can dare to do things without him.

This has happened with our first parents, and continues to happen in

the life of each one of us. That is the naked truth about ourselves.

  

            Yet not everything is lost. On the contrary, such

misfortune has also brought about a greater blessing from above. “O

happy fault,” we sing in the Easter Vigil hymn of the Exsultet, and

that is because our sinfulness has brought about a greater blessing

from God. Due to our sin, God became man and gave us a way of how to

handle the consequences of our sins.

   

            In this regard, we can cite St. Paul’s words as being very

relevant. “Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.” (Rom 5,20)

And we can also relish these beautiful words from the Book of Ezekiel:

“Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?, declares the Lord

God. Would I not prefer he turn from his ways and live?” (18,23)

  

            Our sins and everything related to them should not

separate us from God. If ever, they should make us all the more eager

to go to God, always convinced that forgiveness will always be given

as long as we have the proper disposition. God never tires in

forgiving us. His love for us is much greater than the gravest offense

we can make against him.

  

            Let us always remember that it is definitely a sign of the

devil’s wiles and lies when we feel that we should be run away,

ashamed and afraid, from God after falling into some sin. When we sin,

the first thing to do is to go immediately to God to ask for

forgiveness.

  

            Just the same, we have to realize the gravity of our sin

and do something about our vulnerability to it. We have to learn how

to avoid the occasion of sin, temptations and sin itself. We have to

learn how to wage spiritual combat against the enemies of God and of

our soul.

  

            But we should try to avoid abusing the goodness and mercy

of God. In this regard, we have to form our conscience well so that we

would know how to protect and defend ourselves from sin and

temptations, how to know and judge our moral acts properly, etc.

   

            Sad to say, we can suspect that there are already quite a

number of people and even large portions of societies all the over the

world that seem to have lost the sense of sin. And as a consequence,

many cases of depression and suicides are now reported. Temptations

and sin can only give, at best, temporary and fake pleasures, but they

wreck great havoc in the lives of people.

  

            When we are asked to acknowledge our sins at the beginning

of the Mass, let us review the whole drama of our sinfulness and the

assured mercy of God.