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LIBERATION FROM THE OPPRESSION OF SIN THROUGH THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
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10-25-2011, 12:05 PM
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LIBERATION FROM THE OPPRESSION OF SIN THROUGH THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION
Monday, 24 October, 2011, 30th Ordinary Week, Cycle 1
LIBERATION FROM THE OPPRESSION OF SIN THROUGH THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION SCRIPTURE READINGS: ROM 8:12-17; LK 13:10-17 Perhaps one of the greatest burdens of life is not so much the responsibilities that we shoulder, or the work that we do. Rather, it is the weight of conscience that comes from the recognition of our sinfulness. Some of us fear that one day, our hidden sins might be discovered. When there is no joy in our hearts or when there is no peace, it could be because there is a hidden sin in us. Indeed, the woman who “had been possessed by a spirit that left her enfeebled … was bent double and quite unable to stand upright” is symbolic of the burden of sin which she had been carrying for eighteen years. She was weighed down by her sins and guilt. I have often encountered people who have been suffering from the guilt of sin for many years. Because of pride and the lack of courage, they could not confess their sins or even humbly acknowledge their sins. Instead they try to rationalize them and justify their actions. But deep in their hearts, they know that their conscience is troubled. As a result, they could never find true interior peace, for their past continues to haunt them subconsciously and often in their dreams. Some carry the sins that were committed in their childhood, right up to their old age. There was an old lady of ninety years who had committed adultery when she was twenty years old. But for many years, she carried that guilt and was too afraid to ask for forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. The Good News is that Jesus wants to free us from our guilt and our sins that burden us. When Jesus untied the woman from being held by Satan for the last eighteen years, he was freeing her from the sins of her past. The word “untie” in Jewish terminology is not so much a physical act, rather it is related to the penalty for sins committed. It is a juridical act. So when Jesus untied the woman, He was freeing her from her slavery to sin and to her guilt. It was sin that kept her from walking upright and from walking in the Lord. Hence she was able to stand upright and praise God the moment she was freed from her guilt. Indeed, the inability to praise God from our hearts is yet another sign that we could have a hidden sin. When people experience God’s forgiveness, the response is always one of praise. In the same vein, if we find that there is nothing to praise God for, it is because we have yet to recognize our sinfulness and therefore, have not been in receipt of forgiveness. Jesus tells us elsewhere in the gospel that those who have been forgiven much will also love much. For the truth is that only God can forgive and liberate us. Psychologists cannot liberate us from guilt, as they can only help us to understand our actions and suppress our fears and anxieties. We cannot forgive ourselves as God alone can free us. But God who is Love truly wants to free us from the torment and misery of our sins. He wants to give us our true dignity, which is to share in His life by sharing in Christ’s sonship. This is what St Paul wrote, “Everyone moved by the Spirit is a son of God. The spirit you received is not the spirit of slaves bringing fear into your lives again; it is the spirit of sons, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba, Father!’ The Spirit himself and our spirit bear united witness that we are children of God.” It is important to examine the meaning of our sonship deeper. We are truly sons of God because we have been adopted as sons. Adoption speaks of the fact that we are not children of God by generation as in the case of Jesus. Nevertheless, adopted sons share in the same privileges as natural sons. Thus, as adopted sons in the Son, we too are given a share in Christ’s blessings. St Paul says, “And if we are children we are heirs as well: heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, sharing his sufferings so as to share his glory.” This means that we share in the life and love of the Son that He receives and enjoys with the Father. This is truly a great joy for us all, to think that although we are merely human beings, we can share in the divine life without being divine. What are we called to inherit? The freedom of sonship, the freedom that was lost by Adam’s sin is now given back to us. Not only do we recover our dignity as sons and daughters of God, but we also live in the freedom of the Spirit. No longer do we live in fear or in slavery, for we know that God is our Abba, Father and we are His children in Christ. Indeed, what makes us fearful and oppressed is always because of the fact that we are given over to Satan instead of to the Lord. Like the woman, we are bound by Satan and he is the one who takes away our joy and freedom to do good and to love selflessly. Isn’t this the remark of Jesus when He said, “this woman, a daughter of Abraham whom Satan has held bound these eighteen years.” But when we regain our sonship, we no longer have to fear anything or anyone since the Lord is our protector and redeemer. But with God as our Father not merely in name but in fact, not merely in thought but in our hearts, we can declare with the psalmist that “But the just rejoice and exult before God; they are glad and rejoice. The father of orphans and the defender of widows is God in his holy dwelling. God gives a home to the forsaken; he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. Blessed day by day be the Lord, who bears our burdens; God, who is our salvation. God is a saving God for us; the Lord, my Lord, controls the passageways of death.” In this way, he can walk with true freedom, for it is only in freedom that a person can find joy and peace. But to share in this unimaginable privilege, we must take the step of giving up sin and be reconciled with God. As St Paul says, “do not obey our unspiritual selves or to live unspiritual lives. If you do live in that way, you are doomed to die; but if by the Spirit you put an end to the misdeeds of the body you will live.” We must find the strength that comes from God alone, given to us by Christ to wrestle control over our unspiritual self. Only He can overcome the wiles of the Evil One as the psalmist says, “Our God is the God of salvation. God arises; his enemies are scattered, and those who hate him flee before him.” This is enjoined further by Jesus that we must do it now. We cannot wait any longer. When it comes to salvation of the soul, we cannot delay. Peace is only a step away. That was what Jesus told the synagogue official who was indignant that Jesus healed on the Sabbath day. According to the official, she could have come the other six days of the week. But Jesus exposed his hypocritical standards when He retorted, “’Is there one of you who does not untie his ox or his donkey from the manger on the Sabbath and take it out for watering?’” In other words, what more would not God do for a child of God, a daughter of Abraham? For this reason, we must not delay in celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation when we have sinned against the Lord and His people or against ourselves, especially when we have committed grave sins. When we procrastinate, we are giving more time for Satan to take root in our hearts, causing us spiritual upheaval and making us numb to sin and our conscience. This lack of sensitivity to the Spirit of God will eventually lead us to commit more sins. Satan, like the Pharisees in the gospel, wants us to wait and delay because he knows that the moment we confess our sins, he will lose his hold over us. This is the mistake of many Catholics, especially those active in Church ministry. They delay in going for confession and, as a consequence, their love for the Lord eventually becomes insipid and cold. Their prayer life is affected, and eventually they lose the taste for God and for all spiritual things. Hence, it is important that we take the Sacrament of Reconciliation seriously. It is a beautiful sacrament given by Christ to His Church. We must prepare ourselves though and not just go for confession without serious spiritual preparation. Otherwise, it becomes another routine that will not bring about any conversion in our lives, and if at all, the change is only superficial. But if we prepare ourselves for the celebration of this sacrament, we will experience His healing love and mercy. Yes, if we find ourselves burdened by our past, then we need to seek forgiveness and inner healing. But inner healing cannot take place unless we take the fundamental step of being reconciled with God, by acknowledging our sins and by asking for forgiveness. Thereafter, we must seek inner healing of our emotions and hurts so that we can be restored to fullness. Even without asking for inner healing, the person forgiven would have felt an immediate sense of immense relief. Nevertheless, it is also important that one must be healed from the roots of his sinful orientation, in order that one would not return to his former way of life. |
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