Monday, 1 August 2016
WE ARE SAME IN SINFULNESS, NEVER JUDGE
By Christian Ukaegbu
The road of salvation is always narrow and difficult. But, there is a daily call upon us to become carriers and dispensers of God’s love.
Before taking up this divine call, it is pertinent we develop our lives with love, prayer and sacrifice. This reflection is centred on humility, for us to be able to admit our sins there must be a form of acknowledgement which will then lead us to introspective reflection and the act of asking for forgiveness comes in.
We should recognise our sins and dispose of ourselves, afterwards, we avail ourselves to God’s mercy. Humility and introspection help us to acknowledge our sinful nature, it also gives us a sense of love and understanding of other people’s weak nature.
This inward introspection is an act which guides and position to a state of inward self-knowledge, helping us to avoid seeing our brothers and sisters as worse sinners. We learn to easily forgive since we know our own weakness and abilities to fall. Our inability to forgive is not just a sign of pride but also a sign which erroneously portrays us as being perfect. But if we are able to acknowledge that we are not faultless then we will be able to know that the other person is as human as we are and is also not impeccable.
How often have we sincerely acknowledged our sins before God and our attitudes towards our neighbours? Even the prophet Hosea emphasised on the idea of acknowledgement of sin and the act of asking for forgiveness (Hosea 14:1-9).
We should keep this in mind, that the recognition of our sins avails us the opportunity to receive mercy. We cannot be totally free from venial sins, as Saint Augustine would say, if all these sins (venial) piles up, it leads to mortal sins, for mortal sins puncture the sanctifying grace in our souls. This act of recognition is not just a sign of humility but also a sign of the humble admittance of our creatureliness, limitation and as well as our total dependence on God’s merciful love.
I enjoin us to reflect on a paragraph on the stations of the cross of Schoenstatt Father’s Community.( 3rd station)
“When sin and nature’s weakness press us down, When failure and the shepherd’s task makes us tired. Then let us follow in your footsteps Lord giving hope to our broken nature.”
How, then can you be bold enough to say, the cross of Christ is your light (Christi crux est mea lux), when our sins draw us away from Him. Let us acknowledge our sins then and return to Him who is full of mercy and bountiful love.
I implore each and every one of us to make sincere efforts in this year of mercy and beyond, for self-introspection and the practice of this merciful love of God.
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