Memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul, Priest

"My God, I am too ashamed and confounded to raise my face to you, O my God, for our wicked deeds are heaped up above our heads and our guilt reaches up to heaven. From the time of our fathers even to this day great has been our guilt, and for our wicked deeds we have been delivered up, we and our kings and our priests, to the will of the kings of foreign lands, to the sword, to captivity, to pillage, and to disgrace, as is the case today. And now, but a short time ago, mercy came to us from the LORD, our God, who left us a remnant and gave us a stake in his holy place; thus our God has brightened our eyes and given us relief in our servitude.

We all go through periods of feeling unworthy or shame because of what we do or fail to do. When we sin, our consciences prick us with a sense of guilt which prods us toward confession of our sins and reconciliation with God. Our guilt is not meant to drive us away from God, but rather to drive us to Him. He wants us to cleanse ourselves of sin and return to Him. He wants to brighten our eyes and give us relief from sin’s chains.

Are we in a state of sin? If so, are we making every effort to confess our sins, do penance, resist temptations, and avoid the evil inclinations that can sometimes plague us? How can we keep ourselves clean in conscience?

O Lord, remove the scales of sin from our eyes and brighten them with the light of your love.

Amen.