Who among us did
not sin or are not capable of committing sin? Even saints committed sins. St.
Peter betrayed Jesus. St. Augustine was an adulterer. Bl. Bartolo Longo was a
former satanic priest. All of us have offended God in one way or another in some points of our life. What makes sinful
men and women saints despite their sinfulness? It is their will to allow God to
realize His plan in their lives.
God loves us and
He has good plans for us. “‘For I know
the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to
harm you, plans to give you hope and a future’ (Jeremiah 29:11). And God
fulfills His plan. In the book of Joshua (5:9, 10-12), we read the fulfillment
of God's plan to the Israelites to remove the reproach of Egypt from His
people. That is, to reconcile them to God fully, to restore their capacity to
do good again. The people of God once again were able to eat the produce of the
land through unleavened cakes and parched grains. They ate the works of their
hands, through the sweat of their brow. The manna ceased to fall from heaven as
they themselves are again capable of feeding themselves, a capacity they had
lost when they offended the Lord. And so, they began a renewed life in God, as
God accomplished His promise to bring them in a new land. Peace was in their
hearts as the burden of their sins was removed through their reconciliation
with God.
Sin moves us away
from God and renders our relationship with Him broken. Sin is the source of
discomfort in our hearts and in our lives. As sin leads us astray, we come to
realize that we have done something wrong and consequently, our hearts are
disturbed. God does not desire that we live away from Him; away from His good
plans. He reconciles us to Himself. He made covenants with man, which time and
again, man broke. And in the fullness of time, He sent His only begotten Son to
reunite us with Him once and for all. All these are initiatives of God so that
we may return to Him. Weak as we are, we still sometimes move away from the
goodness Christ offers to us in lieu of other things that appear to us
deceivingly as good. Thus, St. Paul
appeals to us to reconcile ourselves to God (2 Cor 5:17-21).
How should we
repent, come to our senses, and return to the Lord? It is by remembering how
good God has been to us in the past, and how we wasted that goodness He offered
to us. Since God is unchanging, He remains to be the Good Father waiting for
His prodigal children's return to Him. Yes, the Father is waiting for our
return so that He may put back the dignity we have given up when we chose to sin
and distance ourselves from Him.
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