For that reason, I would like to bring you into the deep meaning of what the “Acknowledgement of our Sinfulness” actually is, and of how it could transform the way we pray and live the mysteries that are right in front of our eyes — in the renewal of the one and great sacrifice of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: his Unbloody Sacrifice of the Holy Mass.
As good Catholics, we are taught from the moment we start to step into the spiritual and Church life about the Ten Commandments, about mortal and venial sins, and about how they do interfere in our life and in our relationship with God. And we should bear in mind that everyone commits sins (apart from Jesus and Our Lady).
“For a just man shall fall seven times and shall rise again: but the wicked shall fall down into evil.”(Proverbs 24:16)
“There is no distinction: for all have sinned, and do need the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23)
If the upright falls into sin about seven times a day imagine ourselves who are not as such upright. Because of our sins we all have lost and lack God’s glory. This is an absolute disgrace. Much more because our sins are the reason why God’s face is taken away from us.
The prophet Isaiah is who teaches us how that happens:
“Behold the hand of the Lord is not shortened that it cannot save, neither is his ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have divided between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you that he should not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity: your lips have spoken lies, and your tongue uttereth iniquity.” (Isaiah 59:1-3)
Many people as Christians — mainly Catholics, to be fair — sometimes complain that God does not listen to their prayers, or that he does not want to do what is good, and to intervene, for his own sake, in the story by changing it and bringing about something essential — like healing those who are sick, bringing back to life those who are dead in sin and in the shadows of false doctrines and misleading religions. It is a big mystery really; but our duty is to be in a holy condition, in which we could also be used by God in order to help or contribute in this sense.
And how is this to be done, if we are all sinning all the time? We will acknowledge our sins, recognise what we are and what we do, regret and repent for such things, and ask God for his forgiveness.
Those are basically the four important and necessary steps we need to take in order to achieve our goal with this first reflection. We will arm ourselves with the power of the Holy Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to come and help us understand and put it into practice in our lives.
Let’s start with the wonderful letter Saint John wrote that will generate hope in our hearts, for many times we have the temptation to hide our sins or pretend we did not do that or did not have the intention to do such and such thing. Let’s make something very concrete: stop lying or pretending! First to ourselves, then to God and after all to others as well.
“If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all iniquity. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (1 John 1:8-10)
God knows that at times we are not lying or pretending something we are not. It is just a matter of actually not knowing how to acknowledge our sins since we don’t even know what they are. And Jesus knows we are small and wicked and hopeless. That is why he sends to us the one that helps us, the wonderful third person of the Holy Trinity: The Holy Spirit, our Paraclete!
Jesus left us with such wonderful words during the Last Supper, before his Passion, Death and Resurrection. It is a word for his apostles, for his followers, for those who are part of his mystical body and for all men of good will.
“But I tell you the truth: it is expedient to you that I go: for if I go not, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment. Of sin: because they believed not in me. And of justice: because I go to the Father; and you shall see me no longer. And of judgment: because the prince of this world is already judged.” (John 16:7-11)
The Holy Spirit helps us to recognise our sins, since he shows us what sin is and what our sins are, as long as we let him do whatever he wants to do in us. The first thing we need to do is to ask for his help. He was not sent by Jesus in order to be forgotten. Many Catholics nowadays keep forgetting about the Holy Spirit, or treat him as something unworthy. Let me help you to remember: he is God, and not merely a power or a whisper. He is God!
Jesus said he will send the Paraclete to be our help and guide but he also said we need to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit!
“And I say to you, Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and you shall find: knock, and it shall be opened to you. For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh, findeth; and to him that knocketh, it shall be opened. And which of you, if he ask his father bread, will he give him a stone? or a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he reach him a scorpion? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father from heaven give the good Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:9-13)
It is the wonderful Holy Spirit of God who will help us to recognise and call to mind our sins and acknowledge them. Put them in front of our own eyes. My brothers and sisters, how important that is! It is only when we recognise our sins that God can forgive us. It is through the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that our sins are cleansed — but we need to take that step of recognising them.
To recognise and acknowledge our sins is not a sign of weakness, but of faith and hope. It is a sign of maturity and of great confidence in the One who makes his light shine upon us — and when we are in that light, we share the life of God and the life of our brethren.
“And this is the declaration which we have heard from him, and declare unto you: That God is light, and in him there is no darkness. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he also is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:5-7)
That is wonderful news, but it may be that you knew about all of that even before reading all this. The big thing you are invited to do today is not to know about all of this, but to do something. Knowing about sin does not make you righteous; you are justified by asking for forgiveness and humbling yourself before the face of God.
Even if you knew about everything you read and nothing is new to you, make a commitment with God now: to renew and once again renounce your evil ways and get back to his wonderful light. Let his grace come upon you.
We need to take the first step in that direction, and God himself will take seven steps in our direction: guiding our feet onto the right path, pouring down his grace upon us like an impetuous rain — and his mercy and love will cleanse us altogether, and we will be his beloved children, set free from sin.
“When you stretch forth your hands, I will turn away my eyes from you: and when you multiply prayer, I will not hear: for your hands are full of blood. Wash yourselves, be clean, take away the evil of your devices from my eyes: cease to do perversely, Learn to do well: seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge for the fatherless, defend the widow. And then come, and accuse me, saith the Lord: if your sins be as scarlet, they shall be made as white as snow: and if they be red as crimson, they shall be white as wool. If you be willing, and will hearken to me, you shall eat the good things of the land.” (Isaiah 1:15-19)
Just as the acknowledgement — to recognise our sins and to ask for forgiveness — is a grace from the Holy Spirit, so the contrition of heart that produces regret and leads to a repentant soul is also a grace from him. So, inspired by the Holy Spirit, with great confidence in the love of our God, we want to approach him and ask the Holy Spirit to guide and lead our hearts deep into those four important and essential steps: to acknowledge our sins, to recognise what we are and what we do, to regret and repent with all our hearts, and to ask for his forgiveness.
Let us take advantage of the Holy Scriptures and pray with the Psalm David wrote after having sinned with Bathsheba. Pray with that, and do not be too attached to what is written: bring it to your own life and ask God to forgive your personal sins. That is the most important thing — make it personal to your own life. If you feel that at any stage you feel something from your own where you identify yourself with David stop there and pray over (even though you don’t pray with the whole Psalm).
“Have mercy on me, O God, according to thy great mercy. And according to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my iniquity. Wash me yet more from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my iniquity, and my sin is always before me. To thee only have I sinned, and have done evil before thee: that thou mayst be justified in thy words and mayst overcome when thou art judged. For behold I was conceived in iniquities; and in sins did my mother conceive me. For behold thou hast loved truth: the uncertain and hidden things of thy wisdom thou hast made manifest to me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be cleansed: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. To my hearing thou shalt give joy and gladness: and the bones that have been humbled shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities. Create a clean heart in me, O God: and renew a right spirit within my bowels. Cast me not away from thy face; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and strengthen me with a perfect spirit. I will teach the unjust thy ways: and the wicked shall be converted to thee. Deliver me from blood, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall extol thy justice. O Lord, thou wilt open my lips: and my mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou hadst desired sacrifice, I would indeed have given it: with burnt offerings thou wilt not be delighted. A sacrifice to God is an afflicted spirit: a contrite and humbled heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. Deal favourably, O Lord, in thy good will with Sion; that the walls of Jerusalem may be built up. Then shalt thou accept the sacrifice of justice, oblations and whole burnt offerings: then shall they lay calves upon thy altar.” (Psalms 51:1-21)
May God bless you and give you strength and wisdom to get into this battle against sinning and to get back to normality of pureness and holiness: the kind of life that pleases God and the one we were made to live - preparing ourselves for the kind of life we are going to live in eternity with our Lord.
Praised and blessed be God forever!
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