For you had gone astray like sheep, but
you have now returned to the shepherd and
guardian of your souls. Do we realize that in our
recognition of our sinfulness we can experience
the joy of being received once more into the
tender care of our loving shepherd?
We sin. There was a time when Catholics
were steeped in a sense of sin to the point that we

lost sight of our inherent goodness and the

tremendous love of God for us. Today, we seem
to have lost any sense of sin! Even if we can
truthfully say that we are good persons, we must
also say that we are sinners. We do not always
live in faithfulness to what God expects of us in
our relationship with God and in our relationship
with our brothers and our sisters in God. If you
miss Mass frequently, you sin because God
expects us to pray within the community of
believers to whom we are joined by our common
baptism in Christ. If you have no prayer life, you
sin because God expects us to be in conversation
with God so that God can guide us along the path
that will lead us to the life God wills for us. If you
fail to treat persons with respect, you sin because
God expects us to honor and respect the dignity of
all persons. If you harbor prejudice, resentment, or
hatred in your heart, you sin. As good as we may
truly be, we are still sinners. When we
recognize our sinfulness, we then turn to Jesus
Christ, the Good Shepherd, to receive forgiveness
and to be renewed in our relationship with him
and through him with God, our Father. Our
confession of sin is an opportunity of grace for us
because in our confession of sin, our Good
Shepherd embraces us, and offers us his
unconditional. It is a beautiful irony that our
sinfulness helps us to experience the immense
love of God for us! When we fail to recognize our
sin, and thus fail to seek the forgiveness of our
Good Shepherd, we deprive ourselves of the rich
love and mercy that our Good Shepherd wants to
give us.
In this Easter season, make confession,
the Sacrament of Reconciliation, a regular part of
your life so that you will know the joy of a close
and enduring relationship with Jesus Christ.
Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J