All of humanity shares one thing: we make mistakes and poor choices. Some people abandon the road to Heaven entirely and choose a path that leads to destruction. Others try to do the right thing but keep slipping up. Yet we share something else too: we are all children of a loving God who wants to welcome us into His house in Heaven.
The severity of our mistakes varies, but only one sin is truly unforgivable. Jesus calls this the sin against the Holy Spirit. It happens when a sinner refuses God’s mercy and never seeks forgiveness. People often fall into despair after doing something wrong, convinced they don’t deserve forgiveness. They may believe their sin is too great, or they may doubt God’s mercy altogether. Jesus would have forgiven Judas if he had simply asked. Instead, Judas let despair take over and refused to seek forgiveness at all. As long as we feel sincere sorrow for our sins and bring them to Jesus through the sacrament of reconciliation, we can trust in our forgiveness. No sin is too big for God’s mercy to wipe away.
We should seek forgiveness as soon as we recognize our sin. Just as we take care to keep a white shirt clean, we should take care to keep our souls clean too. Once we let our souls get dirty, we’re more likely to keep rolling around in the mud. When we keep our souls clean, we’re more likely to stay careful and protect that. Even if we fall into the same sin every week, we should return to the sacrament of reconciliation every week too. The priest won’t look down on the sinner. He’ll look up to the repentant sinner with gratitude, just like the shepherd who found his lost sheep.
I don’t know a loving father who would be upset when his child returns home after doing something wrong. I know I’d feel excited. I might not kill the fattened calf, but I’d probably go get some premium ice cream. God, in His infinite love, will feel even happier. So let’s keep our souls clean, and let’s always stay willing to get them deep cleaned when they get dirty.
