Matthew 6:14-15 “For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.”
In the words of Pope Francis, “The confessional is not the dry cleaners”. He explains we can’t make a quick transaction and then go back to the sameness of our life. He says, we must be ashamed for our sins. We ask ourselves, to sin or not to sin. With the bloom of Spring we are reminded of renewal and growth. Our body and soul is like a garden to be tended and soiled as many times as possible. We clear out the debris and make room for fresh thoughts and feelings to grow within us. The things that may weigh us down and make us feel unworthy or unloved. It is this newness that we can attain, we must nurture. At times, our greatest challenges will reap the greatest rewards. I am a passionate person by nature and when I have hurt or have been hurt, I have a great sense of guilt and shame for it. With that I also have a great passion for living life to the fullest with complete optimism.
As a young teen, I felt somewhat embarrassed to share my sins with a priest. It’s not something we really enjoy doing nor does it come naturally to most. As I ventured back to confession, I recall saying to the priest, “Bless me father for I have sinned. It has been over 15 years since my last confession.”. It felt a bit uncomfortable, but the path it set me on was liberating. Suffering and pain can weigh us down. Feeling contrite and asking forgiveness, allows us to move past it in a nurturing way. Ones life changes. God wants to free us from the cage that we sometimes place around ourselves and show us a new way. He wants to do amazing things with our lives. Like anything else getting past the discomfort and into a state of regular confession, allows healing and fills the void of our heart.
Confession of sins can enlighten us into a renewed being. One confession I entered into, was related to my impatience and wanting, to which the priest said, “Life is imperfect. It’s all in God’s time, not ours.”. As I did my penance and prayer, there it was, “For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven”, Ecclesiastes 3. The scripture we chose for my beautiful mother’s funeral. It was exactly what I needed to hear. We can never rush the hand of God but we have to trust in God, as Saint Faustina reminds us.
In words, actions, situations or secret feelings, we can be tempted. The pain we cause others, leaves pain and holes within us. When we lack contrition, authentic sorrow for our sins and fail to reconcile with God, our hearts harden. Pain can be a breeding ground for more sin and an emotional spiral downwards. The Word reminds us, we reap what we sow. Let us see God in all people, even those that have sinned against us. For soon, with God’s will, others may see God in us.
Reach the corners of your heart that may be invisible to others to uproot the weeds of sin and allow divine love to enter. Allow God’s love to dig through the layers of sin that prevent you from living to the fullest. May your garden be filled with the most beautiful orchids and the sweetest smell of hyacinths. May others gravitate to your beauty and love and truly want what you have. Plant seeds of love. Set your heart on God’s glory.
Peace,
Claudia
Our Nourished Soul