Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
“The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
This last Sunday of Ordinary time is a fitting time to reflect on our sinfulness, especially as we prepare to enter the season of Lent. If this sounds like a familiar part from the Mass, it is. As Catholics, we begin every Mass by calling to mind our sins by praying the Kyrie Eleison, that is, the “Lord Have Mercy,” and the Confiteor (“I confess…”) As Catholics, reflecting on our sins can be a very scary thing. It may lead us to discouragement with ourselves or anger at God. This could be because we find ourselves repeating the same sins every time we go to confession or because we do not see any progress with the sins we’ve wrestled with for years. So, we believe God is disappointed with us or even angry with us. And, although we should hate our sins, confess them, and make reparations for them, we must never become discouraged by sins.
Discouragement is one of the greatest weapons that the enemy uses when we have sinned or reflect on them. However, this is not what God desires for us. Instead, we can take encouragement from the wonderful saint, St. Therese of Lisieux. She believed that her many sins were not a deterrent to God’s love but rather an opportunity for us to be humble and commit ourselves back to him. Imagine a child who has committed a fault against their mother; the mother is, of course, hurt. Does the mother stop loving her child? Of course not! So why would God, whose love is infinitely greater, stop loving us when we hurt him? Instead, God exerts himself more willingly to show us his loving embrace and correct us. So, with St. Paul, we can proclaim confidently, “But thanks be to God who gives us victory through our Lord Jesus Christ,” even amidst our sins and weaknesses. And what is this victory? Victory over sin and eventually death!
Reflection by Eric, seminarian
Posted in Articles for Ordinary Time, Daily Reflections