Matthew 23
One way to live in peace with oneself is to speak and act according to what one thinks and believes. And when one’s desires and thoughts are in harmony with the Way of Christ, the person is at peace with God. But not all of us are always on these two ways to peace. I often fail what I preach. And daily I struggle with my sinful desires against God’s law. How wonderful it would be if I could desire only the things Jesus desires! How great it would be if my flesh could always obey my spirit! But I experience more failures than successes.
When I commit sins, I hurt not only Jesus but also myself. And the sins pile up on my spirit as heavy burdens. The inside of me is filled with dead bones and filth like a tomb. And it feels more painful when I have to decorate the outside with liturgical cleanness and words of preaching.
This is why Jesus calls us to daily repentance and frequent reconciliation with God. Jesus encourages us to clean our souls and spirits. Jesus offers to heal us of our inside. Hypocrites pretend that they don’t need any help for their spiritual health. But I believe that they used to feel the pain from self-contradiction. But there is a danger of becoming used to the pain. In other words, one can turn insensitive to self-contradiction. Frequent confessions can prevent this danger and renew our hearts and our conscience with the grace of the sacrament.
Happiness cannot exist with self-contradictions and hypocrisy because sins and sinful desires break the interior peace and the peaceful relationship with the Lord. I pray that I may live one day without much pain from self-contradictions and hypocrisy. I also wish all of you are free from the pains of sin with frequent confessions.
