ANOTHER TAKE ON TAKING AWAY SINS 

FROM THE HUMAN HEART 

AND THE MEMORY 

INTRODUCTION

The title of my homily for this 3^rd Tuesday in Ordinary Time is, “Another Take on Taking Away Sins from the Human Heart and the Memory.”

As priest I know that people remember their sins - more than their good things - and many for the rest of their lives.

Even though they have gone to confession - people remember their past - especially their past sins.  When someone tells that  past sins keep returning to their memory - I say - “Of course:  we remember our mistakes. The opposite is dementia.”

FROM TODAY’S FIRST READING

I get this thought and this question from today’s first reading from Hebrews 10: 1-10.

Today’s first reading says that people make sacrifices  year after year to feel cleansed of sins - to remove the consciousness - the remembrance of their sins.

The Letter to the Hebrews says a lot about the why of worship and making sacrifices. It talks especially about the sacrifice of Christ . It talks about Old Testament sacrifice of animals.  Doing this is part of what human beings do to try to get rid of our memories of our  sins.

Human beings who have cheated on their spouses can tell you they keep on giving gifts to the other - to make up for our sins.

Was it Irma Bombeck who said, “Guilt: the gift that keeps on giving.”

SUNDAY EVENING

The title of my homily is, “Another Take on Taking Away Sins from the Human Heart and the Memory.”

Last Sunday evening I sat in the benches here at St. John Neumann when Father Ronnie Bonneau  was giving some remarks to the RCIC -  Becoming a Catholic as a kid - and he was talking  about going to confession for the first time - or any time.

He said that God’s motive for forgiving us is love. God loves us. God wants us to say we’re sorry and to move on.

Well as I listened I found myself thinking the following: “Maybe we can’t accept that God forgives us, because we can’t forgive those who hurt us.”

Said in another way, “If we learn to actually forgive someone who hurt us, then we might learn to realize God forgives us and others can forgive us.”

Again, if we can really forgive another then we might realize, “Well, if I can do this, God can do this.”

CONCLUSION

That grabbed me.  I don’t know how well that grabs you. Just as I began thinking about forgiveness in my own way - when listening to another - maybe you have your own insights.

Forgiving and being forgiven is a lifetime question - wondering - struggle.