The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
It is truly Jesus we seek.
These words of Jesus and the message of today's gospel orient me towards a sincere examination of conscience. Not necessarily because I have some huge sin I’ve been hiding, however there go I if not be for the grace of God, but because I think the Church wants to remind each of us this Sunday that sin is real and sin has consequences. I read this part of the Gospel over and over because it cuts deep in many of the voices we hear today.
“Whoever causes one of those little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea.”
Ouch. To me that sounds opposed to the voices of the world that preaches so much tolerance and relativism. If Jesus spoke these words in the public square today, I wonder what assumptions or labels might be cast upon him - would Jesus seem harsh or divisive and subsequently driven out of town? In an age where modernity and secularism surround us, it’s too easy, even for people who consider themselves devout followers of Jesus, to underscore their sin or worse, to ignore the stark reality of sin being sin. Oh, how I pray for the Holy Spirit to sharpen my conscience and the consciences of all the faithful so that we can earnestly repent of our misdoings and seek to rectify our states of grace in the Sacrament of Confession.
Oh Lord, just as your psalmist exults, truly let your perfect law refresh our souls, “from wanton sin especially, restrain your servant; let it not rule over me. Then shall I be blameless and innocent.”
It is truly Jesus we seek. Amen.
Dr. Chelsea Harkins serves as owner & therapist at Dallas Pelvic Health, a holistic pelvic therapy practice. She serves women who are in the preconception, prenatal, and postpartum seasons of life and seeks to infuse the teachings of St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body into her work. She is married to her hunk of a husband, Ryan and together they spend most of their time chasing their ridiculously cute boys, John Paul and Gabe. Come say hi on Instagram!