To the Ends of the Earth: Character – Week 10, Day 3 – We Cannot Hide from God's Mercy

Have mercy on me, O God,

   according to your merciful love;

according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,

   and cleanse me from my sin!

For I know my transgressions,

   and my sin is ever before me.

Against you, you only, have I sinned,

   and done that which is evil in your sight,

so that you are justified in your sentence

   and blameless in your judgment.

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

   and in sin did my mother conceive me.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward being;

   therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.

Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;

   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.

Make me hear joy and gladness;

   Let the bones which you have broken rejoice.

Psalm 51:1–8

David thought he could commit adultery and murder and then hide in the dark. Yet the light of God’s powerful truth brought David’s sin out into the open. The radiance and purity of God’s grace pierced David’s heart to convict him of his sin and expose his hypocrisy. While he undoubtedly hurt many other people by his sins, ultimately he realized that his sin offended God. That realization was so powerful that it overshadowed any other players on the stage of the unfolding drama.

We cannot keep our sins a secret from God. As Catholics we should know this. Maybe we are trying to hide from ourselves. We fear the discipline of our heavenly Father. We fear having to face the consequences of our sin when we admit that we have done wrong. But the truth is that we will never be at peace until we accept our sins, confess them, and seek the forgiveness of our loving Father. Making a good examination of conscience allows us to take the needed first step of recognizing where we have failed. Then, in the confessional, we are given the strength to recover from our sin. God’s forgiveness fills us with gladness once more, so that we can move forward in our journey of faith.

Questions for Reflection

How has keeping your sins a secret impacted you? Do you want to stop hiding your secret sins from God? Can you plan to take them to Confession?

How can you encourage your brothers to come clean with their sin in Confession?

Praying with Scripture

For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. (Rom 5:10–11)

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