Do you sometimes experience defeat in battles against sin? - Daily Reflections October 23,2015

THE ANGUISH OF TRYING TO SUCCEED

 

I am sure that we have all experienced the anguish of knowing what to do in a particular situation but not knowing how to do it. This powerlessness to do what we should do is very frustrating, probably even more so when it comes to our struggle with sin. The question I would like to examine is whether or not this is a truly Christian experience or not.

       The Gospel reveals that Jesus has won the battle over sin and given us His victory through the sacrament of baptism. Thus, if we truly appropriate and live the reality of our baptism, we should experience His victory over sin. The experience of defeat in the battle against sin and its various powers is not a truly Christian experience per se; it is an experience of the degree to which our lives remain unredeemed and outside the domain of God’s grace. What this tells us is that there is still a long way to go in our acceptance

and appropriation of the gift of salvation.

       The dialogue of the seventh chapter of Paul’s Letter to the Romans is the cry of a person undergoing conversion — taking to heart the truth of the Gospel and allowing the it to reform his attitudes and dispositions. The truth is that we are always being  redeemed. Yes, Jesus has accomplished the gift of redemption when He died and rose from the dead; however, learning how to fully appropriate this enormous gift is a lifelong adventure for us. We cannot rest in following Jesus and doing His will. When we let our guard down against sin, it will take advantage of us. The only way to overcome the power of sin and our attachment to it is by surrendering fully to the work of the grace of the Gospel — something that we will have to do for the rest of our lives. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you sometimes experience defeat in battles against sin?

 

How can you surrender your life more fully to the grace and power of God? Holy Spirit, help me to desire to surrender all to You in my faith walk such that I will be able to defeat sin and its powers more and more each day.