11TH SUNDAY C

GOD’S SOLUTION

11th Sunday - Ordinary Time

Sin is a big problem in our day to day life. And so it needs a solution. Generally, there are two solutions to sin, two solutions to human mistakes and wrongdoing.

The first solution, the human solution is cover-up.

We resort to cover-up when we lie to ourselves. We deceive ourselves by saying that we have not sinned, we are not guilty. I once had a fixed schedule in a local jail hearing confessions. When my parishioners asked me whether it was too taxing to hear the confessions of convicts, I joked that in fact, it was very easy. All of them say they have no sin. They are not guilty at all!

We resort to cover-up when we sugarcoat our sins. We use beautiful technical, scientific words to describe what we have done – abortion is not murder, only the expulsion of a “tissue” from a woman’s body. Corruption is not stealing but only a “commission” for a government project. Not adultery, only “mischief”.

We cover-up when we conspire to hide our sins. Mothers of young men caught robbing houses begged the homeowners not to report them to the police and not to file a case against these men in court. Parent of shoplifters pleaded with the manager of the supermarket to let this “naughtiness” pass by.

Sin is a big problem. But cover-up is a bigger problem because we try to hide the truth. Then we will not grow. Nobody learns any lesson from cover-up.

But there is another solution – the divine solution.

This time, it is by means of exposure. We reveal our sins to another. This is not the expose that catches people and humiliates them; not the expose that takes revenge or blackmails others.

It is an exposure to God’s love that helps to transform us. The sinful woman in the gospel courageously approaches the Lord Jesus and exposes her sinful self. She received forgiveness, healing and a new life.

We need to admit our sins to the people who can help us, like David who confessed to the prophet Nathan. Like the woman in the gospel, he too received new life because of his humble admission and cry for help.

Do you tell the right people what you have done? Do you trust your spouses, parents, elder brothers and sisters, teachers, with your weaknesses and faults? God has placed them in our lives to help us. Most of all, we need to approach Jesus in the Sacrament of Confession so he can help us overcome our sins and live better lives. This sacrament is truly a sacrament of freedom and healing for all.

Sin is a problem. But God has found a solution. Let us expose our hearts to the Lord that he may help us rise from our faults. Amen.