When we sin, we are often tempted to stay far away from God. There might be a variety of false ideas that we almost unconsciously take up, allowing them to block our return to God.
These strains of thought are precisely what Satan likes to use to his advantage. Whenever we sin, he pushes us down in the dumps. He might tell us that the sin is barely anything to worry about, or the opposite -- that we are horrific and unlovable. Using various strategies, he tries to put a wedge between us and God, trying to convince us that we are terrible human beings.
The truth is the exact opposite, as God looks lovingly upon us, even when we sin, and he welcomes us with open arms when we repent.
God welcomes the repentant sinner
St. Maximus the Confessor writes about this spiritual truth in a letter featured by the Office of Readings during Lent. He explains how eager God is to welcome us home:
God’s will is to save us, and nothing pleases him more than our coming back to him with true repentance...So it was that Christ proclaimed that he had come to call sinners to repentance, not the righteous, and that it was not the healthy who required a doctor, but the sick.
He then goes on to cite other parables in the Gospels that highlight this reality:
He declared that he had come to look for the sheep that was lost, and that it was to the lost sheep of the house of Israel that he had been sent. Speaking more obscurely in the parable of the silver coin, he tells us that the purpose of his coming was to reclaim the royal image, which had been coated with the filth of sin. "You can be sure there is joy in heaven," he said, over one sinner who repents.
While we may have heard theses stories time and time again, we don't often sit with them and let them affect us. There is great joy in heaven when we repent.
No matter how much we have sinned in this life, God will never shut the door to us if we approach him with repentance. He looks lovingly upon us and beckons us to return to his fold.
If you ever feel unworthy of God's love, you need to reject that lie and go to confession to receive his love poured over you.
God loves you, a fact that we often forget or choose to ignore.
