Jesus answered them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. A slave does not remain in a household forever, but a son always remains. So if the Son frees you, then you will truly be free.”
Sometimes is all too easy to ignore the fact that sin has an effect on our soul, our relationship with God and with each other. Every human heart desires freedom – the freedom to live as we want to live, to be in control of our passions and actions and to be who we are created to be. The human heart can recognize the truth.
Simultaneously, the human heart and mind can be weighed down by sin, which holds us back from reaching our potential. Through the mercy of God, Christ, the eternal Son, gives us a way to break through those chains of slavery to sin and run back into place as sons and daughters of the Father. These chains can be physical, biological, spiritual, psychological or a combination of a few.
God specializes in giving people a fresh start! One way of breaking these chains is through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when we are able to evaluate the sins which we have committed and reject them, recognizing that through them we have rejected Christ. We have the opportunity for a fresh start. When we receive the sacrament, not only are our sins forgiven, but our souls receive a special outpouring of peace given to us by our loving Father.
As we make our way through the final stretch of this Lenten season, we have probably become very aware of how weak we are and how we are enslaved to sin and bad habits in their many forms. Maybe we have found that some of those chains are much harder to break through than others. Perhaps over the past several weeks we have not been able to break free from them at all.
Ask yourself, how much are entrusting yourself, sins and all, to Christ? How are you receiving the support to break free from the slavery of sin? Christ is the Son who frees you and only through Him will you “truly be free.”
Whether you have found this Lent to be holy and fruitful or difficult and exhausting, continue to take each day as a new chance to look at Christ and beg Him to help you step away from whatever sin is holding you back. Draw close to Jesus and experience the freedom He offers so openly.
Fr. Charles Sikorsky, L.C., President, Divine Mercy University. Find out more about DMU’s psychology and counseling programs at divinemercy.edu
