The Sinner, My Mirror-Image

"...[T]here is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female..." ~Galatians 3:28

"...[T]he Mass commences with a gathering of people...from all walks of life, from different social and educational backgrounds, from a variety of economic strata, with differing levels of moral excellence...gathered around the altar of Christ." ~ Robert Barron, Catholicism


I don't know about you, but my world is draped in a tapestry of diversity, whether at work, at the store, commuting, visiting, and so forth. Thank goodness everyone isn't exactly like me--they'd drive me nuts! I have annoying habits, moods, and sometimes I haven't been as patient or kind to my loved ones, or strangers, as I ought to have been. I might be inclined to seek justification in the words or actions of others, but a visit to my mirror is all I truly need to be reminded who the culprit has been. You see, I'm a sinner. And, Jesus loves me anyway.

Wow! Stop and think about that for an additional moment...

I'm a sinner. When faced with choices in life, I sometimes choose words, thoughts, actions or ommissions that contravene what God would have preferred me to undertake. Apparently I'm not alone. The accomplished person we might admire...a sinner. The poor individual we might pity...a sinner. The role model educator or coach...a sinner. Our favorite saints...sinners, too. Such good company does not, of course, excuse my own sinfulness. Fortunately, I have Lent.

God has loved you and I from before we were even formed. He is taking no pleasure in our sinfulness, but he is also not seeking harsh punishment for us. But, until I can name my sin, admit my sin, recognize the grave impact that my sin has upon my relationship with God, as well as my relationship with those upon whom my sin affects, I am broken.

I am NOT forsaken. But, I am responsible to repent.

Our Lord is not going to analyze our worldly measurements before washing away our sins. He is not going to differentiate between earthly strata or human-made honors when dispensing His forgiveness. God loved me just as much when I was a young ditch-digger and restaurant dishwasher, as he will when I am a retired grandfather.

Do I exercise that same level of non-judgmental, status-blind love and forgiveness in my daily walk?

While we undoubtedly each love the Lord with all our hearts and souls, are we fully living out our baptismal promise as we engage the world each day, sharing the Eucharist with all whom we encounter?

...Do we sincerely thank our husbands or wives for the necessary tasks they perform each day for our family's benefit?

...Do we genuinely listen to our children as they recount their highlights and challenges of the school day?

...Do we greet the custodian or security guard at work with the same caring smile and enthusiasm that we greet our boss?

...Do we offer non-judgmental and active listening to a co-worker or neighbor who expresses personal challenges?

...Do we say "yes" to volunteer when it would have been easier and more self-convenient to have said "no" instead?

...Add your own...

Sadly, I fail. No, I don't fail each and every time. But I fail often enough that I know I could do better to build God's Kingdom by embracing these daily moments to be Christ to that person whom I encounter. I'm...a sinner.

Thankfully, it's Lent! And I have the opportunity EVERY DAY to better live out our Faith. I believe that folks really don't care how pious we appear, but they do observe how genuinely we actively represent our Faith. It's the little things that count.

They will know that we have something that they are lacking. Be yourself.

They will ask how they can get what we have. Be yourself.

They will know that we don't have all the answers. Be yourself.

Yourself. Myself. That's how God created us and how He loves us.

I looked in the mirror today...and I saw a sinner...and that sinner is me.

The Enemy of the Good

"The value of life lies not in the length of days, but in the use we make of them...Whether you find satisfaction in life depends not on your tale of years, but on your will." -Michel de Montaigne

"One of the most important discoveries I have ever made is this truth: God is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in him. This is the motor that drives my ministry as a pastor. It affects everything I do." - John Piper


My perspective is not unique to the broader populace to be certain, but I am none the less daily refreshed by the many blessings that fill my life. From my passionate commitment to my beautiful Bride to my jovial fatherhood for our seven year old daughter, my daily existence is enveloped in a brightly-colored garment of peace.

As we have entered into this Lenten season, I am again reminded that my imperfections, my sinful nature require cleansing and improvement. I love this time of the year! Recognizing my broader audience, if you are not currently walking the Lenten journey yourself due to your own beliefs of spiritual conscience, I welcome you to this time (or your own time) of self-reflection, spiritual cleansing, and renewal.

I am imperfect. At this point in my life, I am so very aware and so very comfortable admitting my very humanity. Casting an eye back toward youth, so much time, energy and resources are devoted to creating an image of perfection for fear of exposing oneself to one's peers in an unflattering light. Guided by the media, by our peers, and by the self-conscious examples modeled daily in the adults whom we encountered, in our youth we were led to seek a worldly image of perfection.

Competitively, for many of us, we carried this quest for public perfection into our young adulthood through our ever-increasing educational and professional stature. The systems of rewards we encountered fed directly into this driven impulse. We rose individually and we rose collectively. Recognition...honors...money...power...

Where was God during this phase of our journey upward? Where was our concern for those less fortunate around us? For those of us who never took our eye off of our Lord, then the externalities may not have drawn us off course so sharply or even at all. Admittedly, for the weak and sinful like me, the journey was not so much a journey upward as it was a journey downward into a place darkened, cold and devoid of true companionship. All that striving, all that competing had NOT led to perfection.

I was fortunate several years ago to have been touched at a very particular moment with the realization that my own quest for my image of perfection had been the very enemy of the good. The Hand of Perfection reached into my life and I welcomed Him as He led me deeply into my Catholic faith. I was ready to admit that my concept of worldly perfection was true imperfection. Over the years that have followed, I have instead increasingly embraced the daily good that infuses my existence, working steadily to eradicate my own sinfulness by getting outside myself and focusing upon God through my prayers, thoughts, words and actions. I am still so very imperfect...I have a long way to go on this journey.

I am not implying that we settle for mediocre or "just good enough," but I am inviting you to embrace the daily goodness that surrounds you. I find it when I look into my Bride's eyes while I'm listening to her describe her day's events. I find it when I accept my daughter's invitation to play a game together. I find it when I perform a simple task well. I find it when I give of myself to others in some small way. You yourself have many of your own examples, and I hope I hear more of them from you.

Our Lenten journey, our admission of our own sinfulness, our commitment to work with God to eradicate the stumbling blocks that mark our own imperfection will lead us to His Perfection one day. Along the journey, let us not strive for and cling to the false worldly images of perfection, but instead deeply experience the true daily experiences of the Good with which we have been blessed. I invite you to embrace your Good while you walk with God toward his Kingdom.