Infinite Mercy

“Have mercy on me, God, in your goodness; in your abundant compassion blot out my offense. Wash away all my guilt; from my sin cleanse me. For I know my offense; my sin is always before me. Against you alone have I sinned; I have done such evil in your sight That you are just in your sentence, blameless when you condemn. True, I was born guilty, a sinner, even as my mother conceived me. Still, you insist on sincerity of heart; in my inmost being teach me wisdom. Cleanse me with hyssop, that I may be pure; wash me, make me whiter than snow. Let me hear sounds of joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice. Turn away your face from my sins; blot out all my guilt. A clean heart create for me, God; renew in me a steadfast spirit.” – Psalm 51:3-12

We are all sinners. We all need forgiveness. The psalmist here gives us the lament of David after he sinned against the Lord. We generally consider David to have been an upright and virtuous person, but we also know that he sinned grievously by having an affair with Bathsheba, and ordering her husband to be killed. How easy it is to turn our backs on God and follow our own selfish ambitions.

Our God is merciful. Though we continually sin against Him, He never turns His back on us. It is important to consider the depths of His love and mercy. Our sins are finite. No matter how many or how serious, they are still limited by our time on this earth. God’s love and mercy are infinite. No matter how long or hard we contemplate them, we will never be able to fully comprehend them. This means that we are not able to make God stop loving us. We cannot offend Him enough to break this love.

This means we will always be forgiven when we confess our sins. The sacrament of Reconciliation is the only way to restore our relationship with God after we have committed serious sins against Him. This does not mean that God’s mercy is limited. It means that we must submit ourselves to His will in order to repair our bond with Him.

We must always mend our broken relationship with God. It is never too late, as long as we have one breath or one thought left. The only thing that separates us from God after we have sinned is our pride. Are we too proud to ask for forgiveness? Consider the cost/benefit of this simple act of asking for forgiveness. The cost is a lowering of our pride. The benefit is a restoration of our eternal reward in Heaven, and most importantly our relationship with God. The simple act of confessing our sins can heal any wrong, no matter how serious.

Therefore, we must go to confession. No matter how prideful we are, there is always something amazing waiting for us on the other side of repentance: God’s eternal friendship.