Sorry about the clutter...

I once visited someone in their home, and when I arrived I was told, "I'm sorry about the clutter, that's just who I am". I completely understood; I have gone into many homes, in many different states of cleanliness. I make no judgments -- this is part of being a priest, accept all as they are, and help them to become something better.

The question I want to ask today is, do we in a certain way say that to Jesus? "Sorry my life is cluttered and filled with sin, that's just who I am"? That statement runs contrary to one of the central points of being Catholic: acknowledging who we are, and being willing to become something else. The whole purpose of the Church is not to leave us in sin, but to help us on the journey to holiness.

We each need to do some self-examination (and Advent and Lent are the ideal times for this) and see if we are "excusing" ourselves for certain sins. Do we go about our daily lives just assuming that we can go along without working on them if we sound like we are "sorry" for them? A priest friend of mine often says "God loves you just like you are, but that also means that He loves you enough not to leave you that way".

Do we believe that?