What sins are we covering up hoping that God does not notice?
Mark 12:40
Jesus points out how people can excuse their misdeeds with works of piety. In their minds, by lengthening their acts they hope they can absolve their wrongs. Jesus says no to this.
Only God can absolve our sins. Only in approaching God can God tell us our sins are forgiven. When we try to conceal our wrongdoings and deal with it at a human level we are fooling ourselves. It rests on divine intervention.
Sin is a breaking away from God. To fall out of relationship with God. To try to fix this ourselves is to fall further away from God and assume divinity upon ourselves (Adam and Eve).
How many of our acts of charity are done in an attempt to make up for our sins? Are we even aware of this cycle? We commit a wrong and try to excuse it ourselves? Do we forget to bring our faults to God?
Let us consider our recent works of piety and consider if they were done to mask our shortcomings? Can we acknowledge a recent sin and present it to God? Let us keep God present in our faults and rely on his divine mercy.
Related Reflections
Choosing Spiritual Life • Romans 6:23
How much are we thinking about our spiritual life when we sin?
Embracing God Always • Baruch 4:28
Are we aware that we need to constantly repent since we tend to not follow God’s way?
