All people sin. But at the same time, you are not defined by your sin. That is secondary. Your primary identity is a beloved son or daughter of God, the creator of the universe and father of all. Accepting Jesus’s free gift of grace reconciles you from your sin.

So I want to caution you about calling yourself a sinner. The devil, the great accuser, wants you to fall into the trap of identifying with and wallowing in your sins. But Jesus Christ came into the world precisely to liberate you from them. And He gave the Church the gift of the Sacrament of confession so when we fall into sin, we can again be reconciled.

Saint Paul went to great pains to explain this to the Romans,

“as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to acquittal and life for all men. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by one man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Law came in, to increase the trespass; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Let’s pray – Jesus our Redeemer. You came to call sinners to a new identity, that of a beloved son and daughter of the father of Love. Help us accept your grace to reconcile in you, that we would bask in the light of your mercy, granting us the freedom us to be all you designed us to be. Amen.

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