No sin is bigger than Jesus. But let’s just put it out there – walking into a confessional can be an intimidating thing. Sweaty palms, knocking knees, sudden overheating – the whole lot. Maybe we haven’t been to Confession in years, or we’re scared of what the priest might think, or we’re not exactly sure what to say when. Or maybe it’s just that admitting our own sins out loud is a big deal. The struggle is real, but His grace is more real. We’re not meant to live in bondage. When it comes down to it, sin is the ultimate self-limiting behavior, because we become less of who we really are and more captive to the sin we choose. Sin is its own punishment. It’s a burden that nags at us, takes away our peace. No sin can beat the power of the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ. Jesus longs to pour His Mercy into each one of our hearts. He desires to take the burden of our sins from us, to heal us, and to set us free. In every Confession, Jesus descends into those places of darkness within our own hearts and raises up new life. He is the Divine Physician. He restores our souls: His divine life heals us and fills us with new grace. In the book of Isaiah, God says to each of us: “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow” (Is 1:18). Jesus gives us the hope we need to get up after a fall and run trustingly into the arms of our Father.
It may have been a long time since we have gone to Confession, but we don’t have to be afraid! The Lord welcomes us back home with open arms and a look of infinite tenderness.
Originally printed in IMPRINT Magazine Spring 2015.
