Fifth Thursday of Ordinary Time

“This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called ‘woman,’ for out of ‘her man’ this one has been taken.” That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh. The man and his wife were both naked, yet they felt no shame.

To feel no shame. What a grace God gave humanity when He first created Adam and Eve! If only we could live like that again... without guilt or a sense of unworthiness. Of course, we can have glimpses and tastes of what our ancestors had before their fall, especially when we celebrate the sacraments. This is particularly the case when we seek God’s forgiveness in reconciliation. We go into the confessional full of doubts, fears, and sinfulness, but we come out of it cleansed, hopeful, and joyous. When we have given a good confession of our sins with humble and contrite hearts, we can feel no shame because we are as God wished us to be... holy. We should do all we can to retain this purity for as long as we can in the face of temptation. And if we do fall again, then we should seek out the sacrament of reconciliation and be renewed once again.

What do we have to be ashamed of? Have we confessed these sins? How can we overcome them and live holier lives?

O Lord, cleanse us of our sins and shame and make us into good and blameless servants.

Amen.