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Know
the Sinner
Fr.
George Smiga
September
12 , 2004
Luke
15:1-32
God
does not want us to be sinners, but that is what we are. Now
fortunately for most of us, we are not terrible sinners. We
are not murderers or embezzlers or those who ruin the reputations
of others. But the basic meaning of the word “sin” applies
to us all. The Hebrew word for “sin” comes from a verb which
means “to miss the mark” or “to fall short.” All of us fall
short from being the people we are called to be. We are often
ungrateful, taking our blessings for granted, complaining
even though we have so much. We are sometimes indulgent, wasting
our time and our resources on ourselves when so many others
are in need. We can be lazy, refusing to take care of our
own health, assuming a careless attitude towards our responsibilities.
Often we are prejudiced, impatient and nasty with those we
love.
Now
these flaws are not criminal acts, but they certainly “miss
the mark” of goodness. So what should our attitude be to these
imperfections, to these sins which are an ongoing part of
our lives? I think it would be a mistake to define ourselves
in terms of our sinfulness, to conclude that we are worthless,
or to beat ourselves up about our poor decisions. But I also
think it would be a mistake to treat our sins too lightly,
to brush them aside saying, “This is just a part of life.”
In fact, a good case could be made that acknowledging our
flaws can make the life we live stronger, that mourning our
sins can open the door to growth.
Acknowledging
our imperfections, allowing ourselves to feel the damage that
results from our poor decisions can lead to two positive results.
We can have a clearer understanding of God's love and we can
treat others with more compassion.
It
takes a sinner to understand the love of God. Those who are
blind to their imperfections or ignore the weight of their
sins completely misread God's love. They assume that God is
loving them because they are good. They do not understand
that God's love does not result from what they do. God loves
them because God is love and God chooses to love. It takes
a sinner to understand the truth of the two parables in today's
gospel, to understand why the shepherd goes out to seek the
lost sheep, why the woman carefully cleans her house to find
the coin. It is a free decision to seek what is lost, a choice
to love without any regard for the merit of that which must
be found, a decision to act which is independent of a person's
virtues or vices. Those who acknowledge their own sinfulness
are those who understand the depth and the freedom of God's
love at once.
So
owning our imperfections allows us to see God correctly. It
also gives us a new orientation towards our neighbor. It allows
us to see others with compassion. When we know that we are
not perfect, we have greater patience with others who are
also weak. When we realize our own flaws, we have greater
understanding towards all the other flawed individuals around
us. Those who are always criticizing and judging others are
those who are blind to their own sins, those who do not appreciate
the damage that their poor decisions have caused.
To
be a sinner is our distress. To know that we are a sinner
is our hope. Because acknowledging our sinfulness can allow
us to appreciate the freedom and depth of God's love and to
treat each other with compassion. So do not deny your flaws,
do not to pretend that your sins do not exist. We are called
to admit our sinfulness, to own it, and to realize the damage
we have done, so that we might for the first time really understand
why God loves us, so that we can with compassion deal with
all the other sinners around us.
God
does not want us to be sinners. But that is what we are. So
there is nothing wrong in claiming the truth. We do so not
so that we can become depressed and dejected, but rather so
that we can love God and neighbor in a deeper, truer way.
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