Guilt
and shame are powerful barriers to our relationship with God. They
cause us to run and hide from the one person we need the most. They make
it almost impossible for us to ask for and to accept mercy. The evil
one uses them to keep us from standing before the Lord and seeking His
pardon. Because of guilt and shame, we do not enjoy peace of conscience.
When our hearts condemn us, it is the Lord who is seeking us and
calling us out of our hiding places. At these moments, when the devil
would have us wallow in despair, God sends forth His Holy Spirit to
prompt us to trust in His merciful love. When we cannot find rest for
our souls, God applies the healing balm of the Spirit. When we are
speechless, the Lord gives us the Words of everlasting life. God is
quite different from sinful human beings. It might be good to ponder
these words taken from the Letter to the Romans. “The Spirit comes to
the aid of our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but
the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the One
Who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because
it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will” (Rom. 8:
26-27).
The
Evil One seeks to isolate us from one another and from God by
accentuating our guilt and shame. God, on the contrary desires to engage
us in a dialogue of love and reconciliation. To those who are weighed
down with guilt and shame, the Lord calls out, “Don’t hide, but come to
me. Lay down your burdens and I will give you rest and peace of mind”
(Cf. Mat. 11: 28). The devil accuses us day and night, attempting to
make us squirm and hide from God. God, on the other hand never tires of
forgiving us. The devil seeks to deafen us with his accusations and the
Lord desires to open our ears to the sound of His voice, calling us back
to wholeness. The Lord does not condemn us because of our faults;
rather, He accepts us no matter how imperfect our efforts. May we
recognize the presence of the Lord accompanying us along our life’s
journey and allow Him to open our hearts to the healing sound of His
voice and the recreating power of His grace.
--Father Jerome Machar, OSCO
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