Look Not on Our Sins

Blog Post #59

This morning at Mass as I was praying for all the people and situations that are grieving my heart right now (the terminal illness of my brother, Roger...my second cousin, Mike, who is majorly struggling with Covid...my dear friend, Bev who is critically ill…and the death of our beloved Fr. Andrew’s father, being at the very top of my excessively long list), it suddenly occurred to me that tomorrow, January 22, is also the 49th Anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Normally, I would be braving the cold to participate in a march somewhere, but today I will be with my brother, Roger, and instead of going to the march, I will be praying Rosary after Rosary for all sin...mine, yours, and, most especially, for the horrific sin of abortion. Lord, have mercy!

That’s where my mind was when I heard the words. It was just a couple of words and it was just before the exchange of peace right before Communion. They stood out like a siren in the night and it stopped my wandering thoughts. Fr. Stites, who is filling in for Fr. Andrew, said “...look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church, and graciously grant her peace and unity in accordance with your will.”

“...look not on our sins, but on the faith of your Church...” I’ve heard it thousands of times in my life, but I’m not sure it’s ever registered quite like it did today. I sat there kind of stunned. Can we really be asking God to overlook our sins, in a sense, and, instead, to look at the positive, the hopeful, the devout actions and efforts of the collective faith of the Church?

I need to do more work to understand the theological significance of those words. But in that moment, I was once again hopeful that, despite the knowledge that I’m a terrible sinner, that all humans are, and even despite the unfathomable sin of abortion, at every Mass we are asking God to overlook all sin, and focus on the positive, the hopeful, the devout, and the effort being put forth.

And the effort being put forth for life is a reason for hope! Life is winning in America! And we are hoping that 2022 is a historic year of righting the wrong of Roe v. Wade and bringing justice, healing, mercy, and grace to the countless fathers, mothers, and children whose lives have been devastated by abortion. Yes, Lord, look not on this sin, but on the faith of your Church! 

Today I pray that our faith will burn a little brighter, that hearts will be a bit more hopeful, that we will strive to better understand Jesus’ directives and examples and follow them a bit more deliberately, that our words and actions will take people nearer to Heaven and not further away...that our ripple will increase the faith of Jesus’ Church, so that tomorrow we will be a little closer to graciously granting peace and unity according to His will.

Just look…look at the faith of your Church and may it give you hope.