My Sin Is Always Before Me (Psalm 51: 3)

When God forgives us of our sins in the sacrament of Penance we are well advised to also forgive ourselves. However, it is also good to keep in mind, to some degree, our sins, or at least to recall them once in a while, especially if we still struggle with the defects and faults that led to those sins.

The mark of genuine contrition is a hatred and detestation of sins committed, a firm purpose of ammendment, and a willingness to make satisfaction for them. Although sorrow is an act of the will, and does not necessarily require that we emotionally feel it, a deeply felt sorrow helps in strengthening our resolve. To this end it helps to keep in mind the evil we've done, not to distrust God's pardon, but to deepen our hatred for our sins, maintain a horror of sin, and keep us in touch with our misery, in aid of humility.

This also leads us to a deeper appreciation of God's Mercy in pardoning our sins. It also prompts us to have a life of penance to a degree, welcoming every opportunity to make reparation for our sins, and for the sins of others. For although absolution takes away sin, it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused (cf CT 1551). “We still need to recover our full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: we must ‘make satisfaction for’ or ‘expiate’ our sins” (cf CCC 1459). Such a life of penance “helps to configure us to Christ, who alone expiated our sins once for all” (CCC 1460). Hence the importance and value of observing penitential days and seasons in our Catholic life, in aid of growing in the
virtue of penance, leading to a deeper love of God.

Too often there is a danger to forget our inclination to sin and become complacent. Besides, keeping in mind our sins and weaknesses reminds us to take steps not to relapse into sin. In fact the Catechism teaches that we may re-confess past sins, even venial sins, especially those we currently struggle with– in order to renew and deepen our repentance.

We see in the lives of many Saints how they excited in their hearts a deeper sorrow for sins, leading to a life of penance. We read, for instance, in the ‘Acts of Martyrs’, how St. Afra of
Ratisbon had the abomination of her sins continually before her eyes which caused her intense grief. Thus just before her martyrdom she professed: “As I am unable to offer Him any other sacrifice, I yearn to offer Him the sacrifice of myself, that this body which has offended Him may be purified by the sufferings which I shall gladly bear.” (As quoted in “The 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation, by St. Alphonsus Liguori).

Aware of the misery of our weakness we will then be moved to attach ourselves more to God and seek His grace. For without grace we are so capable of relapsing into sin. We may not be big time sinners, yet how worse we could be were it not for God's grace sustaining us.

Thus regular confession is highly recommended even if we have not committed mortal sins since our last worthy confession. For the sacrament of Penance is both a spiritual medicine which strengthens as well as heals.