| August 1, 2022 -- Almighty and most merciful Father,
we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep,
we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts,
we have offended against thy holy laws,
we have left undone those things which we ought to have done and
we have done those things which we ought not to have done…
Episcopal Book of Common Prayer
You have probably heard people say, “Nobody is perfect”. The older I get the more aware I become of my own imperfections. As in the prayer quoted above, I have left undone the things I ought to have done and I have done those things which I ought not to have done. And all of us, if we look at ourselves honestly, will find similar faults. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Romans (7:19) laments that “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.”
What, if anything, can we do about this universal failing? It will continue to happen that we will fall short and do evil, no matter how hard we try to do good. The answer, given in both the Old Testament and the New Testament, is, as often as we sin, we should repent, and seek God’s forgiveness. In the Book of Proverbs we read: “Whoever conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy.”
And we are told in the first Letter of James: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” Nor is the statement that God forgives all sins confined to Christianity and Judaism. The Muslim Quran states: “O My servants who have transgressed against themselves [by sinning], do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Indeed, Allah forgives all sins. Indeed it is He who is the Forgiving, the Merciful”.
In summary: we all are guilty of multiple sins, but we can rely on God’s Mercy to forgive our sins, both of commission and of omission, as long as we admit and confess them, and then take the further step of repenting of them, that is to say we are sorry for what we did, and will strive to turn away from such behavior.
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