Even though we are not in a penitential season in our Church right now, all three of our scripture readings call us to repentance, to a change of heart.
What is sin? Sin is simply to act in a way contrary to what we know God wills for us in our relationship with God and with other persons. All of us are sinners. Whether our sins are many and egregious, or few and minor, we are all sinners. All of us fail in some way to live in fidelity to what we know God expects of us in our relationship with God and with other persons. When we choose not to pray regularly to God, to open our hearts to God in conversation, we sin. When we choose not to attend Mass, but choose to do something else that we find more enjoyable, we sin. When we make a decision about an action we will take and fail to consider what God would want us to do in that situation, we sin. When we judge another person because of that person’s race, religion or social class, we sin. When we fail to respect the dignity of all persons, we sin. In both of these sins, we sin against that person and we sin against God in whose image that person has been created. When we fail to be empathetic or compassionate toward those who are suffering, we sin. When we use harsh or demeaning words against another person, we sin. When we fail to be persons of honesty and integrity, we sin. Yes, we are all sinners! We all need to open ourselves to the grace of Jesus Christ so that our hearts are continuously open to the change that is necessary in order for us to grow in our faithfulness to what God expects of us in our relationship with God and in our relationship with other persons.
In today’s reading from Corinthians, we are reminded that we are not permanent citizens of this world. Some day we will die. This is a certainty from which we cannot escape! Because we do not know when we will die, and so be held accountable for the lives we have led, we must have a sense of urgency in accepting our need for repentance, our need for a change of heart. We can’t wait until tomorrow because tomorrow may never come!