Go Now You Are Forgiven

(The title of this post is from Dispatch's song, "The General")

Today has been an over all blessed day. It started a little rough - I woke up in a terrible mood from what must have been a frustrating dream, and then I rushed out to nanny for five hours without a cup of joe in hand. Rough life, right? Let's just say I was a lazy nanny today and technology was my friend. Thank you Wii and Apple products. Straight from nannying I had to go to the dentist - which, despite the terrible news that I have to return tomorrow to get rid of some stinkin' cavity (sorry to express my hygiene), turned out to be a pretty good dentist visit. My dentist and I talked about St. Paul's epistles and what we thought about St. Paul. He also paid me a high compliment on my major. (It's changing to Theology so that I can graduate on time.) After the dentist I went with my mom to her weekly Adoration hour. It was such a blessing because I've been yearning to spend time with the Lord in Eucharist Adoration but just haven't. But today I couldn't fight the feeling. (It's always such a blessing when I desire to be with my Lord because let's be honest, those feelings are not always around.) I also had the deepest desire to go to confession because I skipped out last time I was "due for a cleaning." - let's stick with the dentist theme. Not only was I able to go to confession this evening but I was able to go to Mass too with one of my best and oldest friends! Can it get any better than that? 

I went to confession and as I was doing my penance I had a thought - It's really hard to understand God's Mercy. And as I fiddled with that idea and tried to figure it out I realized something amazing. He cleans up our messes. Now hold on to your seats because initially this idea might through you for a loop, but - how humble is the soul who truly accepts God's forgiveness. I say this because, picture this: You've left your dishes for a couple days, and you haven't vacuumed in a while. The Laundry is turning into mount everest and lets face it - you've made a mess. You know its your fault. You made the mess. You let it get dirty and you're responsible - the blame is on you. You would feel terrible if anyone cleaned it up for you right? I mean even the laziest of lazy would feel a little guilty for not cleaning up after themselves. Now, you've made this mess, being completely aware you are responsible - you're at the age of reason, however, your father comes to your messy apartment and cleans it all up, looks you in the eyes and says "I love you," meaning it with his whole heart and he leaves you in peace as he goes on his way. How humbling would it be to just accept that your father did that all out of love. You know he raised you to be responsible and to keep a clean home and maybe you let him down by showing that you didn't do that. But he came in and cleaned up your mess regardless. He did it because he loves you. He knows you did it but he wanted you to have a fresh start and for you to know he loves you. How merciful. Wouldn't that be kind of hard to understand or accept? I think I would be tempted to feel guilty. I'd feel loved, but ashamed of offending my father because I know he raised me better. I'd be tempted to feel guilty for having my mess cleaned up by him who wasn't its reason or cause. But I'd know I was loved because of it and I'd know he loved me beside my failings. It'd take humility for me to truly accept that from my father. To say yes, I've messed up, I haven't lived up to who you desire me to be, and you cleaned up MY mess. 

Well that's confession. We've messed up, we've offended our Father, but he cleans us up. He says I know you did wrong, but its okay, I love you anyways. I will take care of it and it'll be sparkly clean like nothing ever happened. Of course in confession we have to admit we did wrong and apologize whole heartily for it, but we have to allow Christ to take away all of our sins and to believe He has totally forgive us for them. He does not hold them against us but rather he says, "Go in peace, your sins are forgiven."We have to accept God's clean up. 

Think about it this way - Jesus came to save us. He came to Earth as that little baby you see in your manger scene, probably out for this Christmas season, just to give Himself to us and to clean up after us. Remember when Jesus told Saint Peter that He'd be taken and put to death and Peter responded, "Lord, I can't let them do that to you!" and Jesus said, "Get behind me, Satan."? Jesus needs us to accept His sacrifice like He needed Peter to. How humbling is that for Peter - Jesus called Him Satan. Why? Because Peter was trying to keep Jesus from fulfilling the Father's will and when we don't allow Jesus to forgive our sins, we aren't accepting the Father's Mercy, we aren't allowing the Father's will to be done. 

The father wants to clean us. He, the King of creation, - humbly, Himself - came to save us and to put sin to death. He left us with the Sacrament of Confession out of His Mercy - to end to our sins that we make every day. The Father loves us. His will is to love us, for Pete's sake (see what I did there?), He is LOVE. And His will is for us to be holy and clean and pure and therefore His will is to cleanse us from our sins. May His will be done. 

Food for thought: “Tell souls not to place within their own hearts obstacles to My mercy, which so greatly wants to act within them. My mercy works in all those hearts which open their doors to it. Both the sinner and the righteous person have need of My mercy. Conversion, as well as perseverance, is a grace of My mercy.” - 1577 of Saint Faustina's Diary

Food for thought x2 (I couldn't decide on one!): “I have opened my Heart as a living fountain of mercy. Let all souls draw life from it. Let them approach this sea of mercy with great trust. Sinners will attain justification, and the just will be confirmed in good. Whoever places his trust in My mercy will be filled with My divine peace at the hour of death.” - 1520 of Saint Faustina's Diary