Daily Retreat 06/17/07
2007 Jun 17 SUN:ELEVENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME
2 Sm 12:7-10. 13/Ps 31(32):1-2. 5. 7. 11/Gal 2:16. 19-21/Lk 7:36 – 8:3
From today's readings: "Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in His sight?... Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.... if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.... Her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love...."
The Best Thing for the Worst Thing
What is the worst thing you have ever done in your life? Perhaps one particular sin stands out in your mind, or perhaps there's a whole pattern of vice that taken together is certainly the source of your sorest regrets. In any case, a central tenet of our faith teaches us the best thing to do with that worst thing....
King David was guilty of adultery. In fact, so that the adultery would remain hidden, he had even engineered the death of Uriah, the true husband of his paramour. David, who had been so blessed and favored by God... David, who was raised from a lowly shepherd boy to become the kingly shepherd of God's chosen people... David, who seemingly had everything, wanted one thing more: to sin, and get away with it!
But God in His mercy, didn't let David get away with it. Left to itself, the festering sin would have destroyed David, his life and his legacy. Yes, the murderous adultery was the worst thing David ever did, but an even worse thing would have been if David had refused God's messenger of mercy and continued unrepentant in his sin. Nathan the prophet basically just reminded David, "God already knows you have sinned!"
God already knows you have sinned, God already knows I have sinned! We can try to hide sins from other people, and, if we're lucky, maybe we're successful at that all our lives. We can even try to hide our sins from ourselves, and if we're unlucky, perhaps we have some success with that too. But we can't even try to hide sins from God, for in the sight of the Almighty's piercing omniscience, the flimsy fig leaves of excuses we desperately grab to garb our shame do nothing but further expose our pitiful plight.
But that's a good thing! Because, even if it actually were murderous adultery or something else of that awful magnitude, no matter what the worst thing is that you or I have ever done, an even worse thing would be for you or me to refuse God's messenger of mercy and continue unrepentant in sin.
Like you and me, Simon the Pharisee had sinned in his life. And, also like you and me, Simon the Pharisee much preferred to focus on the big notorious sins of others, because such sins seemed so dark that their shadow appeared to neatly hide his own little sins, even from himself. Whatever it was that was the worst thing Simon the Pharisee had done in his life, he made it even worse with his unrepentant ridiculing of the Divine Messenger of Mercy Whom he himself had invited to his house.
Like you and me, King David in the Old Testament and the weeping woman in the Gospel had sinned in their lives. And, also like you and me, the weeping woman knew what was the best thing to do with the worst thing in her life. David, too, learned the best thing to do with the worst thing in his life. David repented of his sins, and confessed them; the woman repented of her sins, and redressed them, with tears and kisses laying them there at the feet of Jesus. The Lord's words to David and the woman: Your sins are forgiven! Not just "hidden," to fester forever, but "forgiven"- wholly remitted, and redressed forever!
What is the worst thing you have done in your life? Whatever it was, don't make it even worse by refusing God's messenger of mercy and continuing unrepentant in sin - join me, instead, in following the example of David and the weeping woman: repent of sins, and confess them; repent of sins, and redress them, with tears and great love, laying them at the feet of Jesus, because that's it - the best thing for that worst thing!
2 Sm 12:7-10. 13/Ps 31(32):1-2. 5. 7. 11/Gal 2:16. 19-21/Lk 7:36 – 8:3
From today's readings: "Why have you spurned the Lord and done evil in His sight?... Lord, forgive the wrong I have done.... if justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing.... Her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown great love...."
The Best Thing for the Worst Thing
What is the worst thing you have ever done in your life? Perhaps one particular sin stands out in your mind, or perhaps there's a whole pattern of vice that taken together is certainly the source of your sorest regrets. In any case, a central tenet of our faith teaches us the best thing to do with that worst thing....
King David was guilty of adultery. In fact, so that the adultery would remain hidden, he had even engineered the death of Uriah, the true husband of his paramour. David, who had been so blessed and favored by God... David, who was raised from a lowly shepherd boy to become the kingly shepherd of God's chosen people... David, who seemingly had everything, wanted one thing more: to sin, and get away with it!
But God in His mercy, didn't let David get away with it. Left to itself, the festering sin would have destroyed David, his life and his legacy. Yes, the murderous adultery was the worst thing David ever did, but an even worse thing would have been if David had refused God's messenger of mercy and continued unrepentant in his sin. Nathan the prophet basically just reminded David, "God already knows you have sinned!"
God already knows you have sinned, God already knows I have sinned! We can try to hide sins from other people, and, if we're lucky, maybe we're successful at that all our lives. We can even try to hide our sins from ourselves, and if we're unlucky, perhaps we have some success with that too. But we can't even try to hide sins from God, for in the sight of the Almighty's piercing omniscience, the flimsy fig leaves of excuses we desperately grab to garb our shame do nothing but further expose our pitiful plight.
But that's a good thing! Because, even if it actually were murderous adultery or something else of that awful magnitude, no matter what the worst thing is that you or I have ever done, an even worse thing would be for you or me to refuse God's messenger of mercy and continue unrepentant in sin.
Like you and me, Simon the Pharisee had sinned in his life. And, also like you and me, Simon the Pharisee much preferred to focus on the big notorious sins of others, because such sins seemed so dark that their shadow appeared to neatly hide his own little sins, even from himself. Whatever it was that was the worst thing Simon the Pharisee had done in his life, he made it even worse with his unrepentant ridiculing of the Divine Messenger of Mercy Whom he himself had invited to his house.
Like you and me, King David in the Old Testament and the weeping woman in the Gospel had sinned in their lives. And, also like you and me, the weeping woman knew what was the best thing to do with the worst thing in her life. David, too, learned the best thing to do with the worst thing in his life. David repented of his sins, and confessed them; the woman repented of her sins, and redressed them, with tears and kisses laying them there at the feet of Jesus. The Lord's words to David and the woman: Your sins are forgiven! Not just "hidden," to fester forever, but "forgiven"- wholly remitted, and redressed forever!
What is the worst thing you have done in your life? Whatever it was, don't make it even worse by refusing God's messenger of mercy and continuing unrepentant in sin - join me, instead, in following the example of David and the weeping woman: repent of sins, and confess them; repent of sins, and redress them, with tears and great love, laying them at the feet of Jesus, because that's it - the best thing for that worst thing!
posted by FrPitstick | 6/16/2007
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