Reflections from the Heart – April 7, 2024

Divine Mercy Sunday
by Fr. Ivan Olmo

“Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” The object of sin is sinfulness.  The author and prince of sin is cunning, calculating, vicious and vindictive. His actions are daunting, desperate, discouraging and deceitful.  Sin seeks to divide individuals, dissuade people, separate our faithful from the flock, isolate and confuse our young people.  Sin should offend everyone because it preys on our children, including the unborn, oppresses and abuses the weak and vulnerable in our society and our families, and simply uses anyone and everyone for selfish purposes and reason for disordered gain and lustful desires. Sin destroys relationships, disrupts friendships, hurts our families, and depresses our youth.  The result of sin has darkened our world to the point that many despair without faith and trust in the Resurrection.  The weight of the darkness is too much to bear.  Darkness hides the hurt.  Further sin numbs the effects.  Personal sin covers and disguises our minds in a veil and web of darkness and covers our eyes and our bodies in guilt and shame.  We are overly desolate from the sins of others and seriously wounded by the effects of our own sin.  We are so wounded we come to believe sin is natural.  We cover sin up by saying; “we are weak, we had no other choice, I am only human.”  We deceive ourselves to think and believe sin is okay, sometimes we have to sin, lying at times is necessary and considered okay because sinning is acceptable.  It is permissible to lie because everyone lies. What a lie. We have come to believe falsely that at times sin is necessary, advantageous and in fact prosperous and beneficial.  We believe that lying and sinning is necessary in order to keep from hurting our love ones. Can you believe that?  We even believe sin is helpful and necessary in order to keep another person from hurting us first, including spouses, children, and siblings. At times, we even believe it is easier for us to be and remain revengeful rather than be reconciling and merciful as our Lord is reconciling and merciful.  If we are deceitful even when we call it an untruth, a necessary sin, a little lie that will not hurt anyone, we simply deceive ourselves, hurt others and wound ourselves.  Love forgives and forgets.  Love heals and it sets us free. Hurt and pain, grudges and resentment, fear and sin retain the person and forget to forgive.  Remember, Christ has forgiven you. By his wounds, you were healed.