Look at these images...
"Behold this Heart which has loved men so much, which has heaped on them so many benefits, in exchange for this infinite love it finds ingratitude; instead it meets with forgetfulness, indifference, outrages" (Words of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to St. Margaret Mary, complaining of man's sins.)
Sin offends God. Not only the fact that it exists, but every time we commit actual sin, we offend our Good God who we should love above all things because He is infinitely perfect and truly worthy of all love. "Actual sin is any willful thought, desire, word, action, or omission forbidden by the law of God." (St. Joseph Baltimore Catechism #2) Any time we willfully sin, we hurt Our Lord and add to His passion. Yes, He is in glory now, but because He is outside of time and He took the punishment for our sins all those years ago, each one we commit was felt by Him then. The Catechism tells us that there are two kinds of actual sin, mortal and venial. But what does it matter which ones we commit? In a way, it does, but in an arguably greater way, it doesn't matter. I say this because the infinitely perfect God of the universe who is all goodness and love does not deserve one harsh remark, unkind look, or complaining thought.
"Every sin must be said to renew in a certain way the Passion of Our Lord, 'crucifying again to themselves the Son of God and making Him a mockery'" (Heb. 6:6) (Words of Pope Pius XI in his encyclical on Reparation to the Sacred Heart)
We should avoid venial sin at all costs first and foremost because it hurts the all-good God. Lent reminds us of that as it brings the above images of the suffering and death of Our Lord to our close attention. In Lent, we are encouraged to approach the cross, sit with Our Lord, and notice the incredible suffering He endured; He endures at our hands. Venial sin, although not as serious as mortal sin is still like one of the thorns in His crown or one of the many lashes He received in the scourging. None of it should have ever happened to Him. He was the only one in history with the right to complain of evil happening to Him, but like a sheep led to the slaughter, He opened not His mouth. He offered no complaint.
Venial sin also harms us. It is a sickness to our soul. When the immune system, so to speak, of a soul is compromised, it is easier to fall into greater sins, including mortal, which are the death of the soul. We should avoid venial sin firstly because it hurts Our Lord, but also because it compromises our own souls leaving them more vulnerable to further and greater sins.
God hates sin because it is the breaking of His law, which is in place not to restrict us but to guide us to the true happiness of Heaven. The Saints hated sin because, being friends of God, they hated all that God hates. They knew sin offends God and so of course, they wanted to avoid it, because they loved Him above all else. This is what we should do too for we are all called to be saints, to love God above all things, and be happy with Him forever.
This Lent, think that it could be your very last. Our priest said this morning in his sermon that we should live this Lent as if we will be in Heaven by Easter. If you knew that's where you were headed in these next 40 days, how would you prepare? Wouldn't you try to avoid sin and frivolities at all costs? If you were getting ready to go on the trip of a lifetime or move across the world, of course, you would prepare yourself well in advance. Why do we not do that now as we look forward to our home of Heaven? We lose sight of the goal and we think we have many years to put all our lives in order. No one, however, is guaranteed that time so use what you have now well. Offend the good Jesus no more! Do not neglect Him, but strive now to make up for all your past offenses and those of the fallen world around you. He loves and cares for each one of us, but so many do not even pay Him the time of day. He is our God, our Creator, our Redeemer. Let us remember this and live every day in light of this blessed reality.
How can we keep from committing sin? The Catechism tells us, "By praying and receiving the sacraments; by remembering that God is always with us; by recalling that our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit; by keeping occupied with work or play; by promptly resisting the sources of sin within us; by avoiding the near occasions of sin."
In short, follow the examples of the Saints. St. Thérèse, St. John Bosco, St. Alphonsus, the martyrs, St. Rose of Lima, St. Benedict, any of them! Their lives are full of stories that tell us how they occupied themselves and avoided sin. It is not always easy but if we make a great effort, God will give us great grace to help us succeed. He is actually just waiting to give us the grace. He waits even a little sorrowfully, because we often give Him a pitiful glance, like the woman in the above image, but do we actually make a concerted effort to turn from our bad habits and sinful ways? Not often. Let us take this Lent to try again most ardently. Remember that we may only have this one and after that, we shall stand before Our Lord and render Him an account of all our thoughts, words, and actions. Let us make this Lent a time that we will be proud to recount.
"Death rather than sin!"
Thank you for reading my poorly written little post. I'm mostly writing this as an outline for my 4th grader's Catechism lesson. Please pray for them and me as I present this lesson and may they become little saints in love with their Divine Master!
In cordibus Jesu et Mariae,
Sarah
