Grace: I beg for the grace to experience and accept myself as God sees and accepts

me. (Romans 2:1-6)

Or, My Lord Jesus, I beg for the grace to understand truly the nature of sin, its woeful
effects on me and on others around me, to abhor it and to feel sincere contrition,
courageously amending my life.

SS:

a) Rom 7: 14-25 (“I do not do what I want to do but what I hate”.)

b) Ez 33: 10-20 (“Turn, turn from your evil ways”.)
c) Lk 18: 9-14 (Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican)
d) Ps 51 (Prayer of Repentance)

Points for Prayer and Reflection:

What are your “favorite” sins (or “favorite” sinful patterns)? Take time to clarify each of
them.

How do these favorite sins of yours, including your own patterns of sinfulness reflect the
quality of your fundamental option in life (i.e. your basic option and direction whether
your entire life really is for God and for others or mainly just for yourself)?

How do you hurt yourself and others through your favorite sins and sinful patterns?

Go back to those times when

you felt you truly hurt yourself
and others through
your own sinfulness.

What do you think are the roots

of your favorite sins and sinful
patterns? How can you break
these sinful patterns of yours?

There is this story about St.

Jerome and the Child Jesus. It
is said that once the Child
Jesus appeared to him asking,
“Jerome what will you give me
this Christmas?” And Jerome
said, “Lord, what more can I
give you? I have given you my
all. I have given you my entire
life”. And the Child Jesus responded, “There is one more thing that you can give me”.
“And what is that?” the saint asked. “Jerome”, our Lord said, “Give me your sins”.
Imagine the Lord before you telling you repeatedly – “Give me your sins”. Take your
favorite sins and sinful patterns and give them all to the Lord. End by being truly contrite
and beg for God’s healing mercy.

Prayer

Almighty and all-merciful God

I see with my own eyes the shame and wretchedness
We humans practice on ourselves and on one another.
I feel afraid that one force
could also cause so much havoc and destruction.
But I ask to know that force in all its power and complexity.
I ask to feel in human affairs and all through my own life world
How subtly and virulently sin flourishes.
Grant me the courage, most holy God,
To see sin in all its ugliness.

MJ CALANO, 10/26-28/2017