We are all sinners!

It’s, of course, a given. We are all sinners! There’s nothing new about that. Whether you are a priest or a mayor, saintly-looking, good-looking or plain-looking, we all have feet of clay, and from time to time, we fall in spite of our best efforts. It’s only the self-righteous and the hypocrite who stupidly thinks he is without sin and has the right, even the obligation, to judge others.

This has solid biblical basis. “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.” (1 Jn 1,8) “The just man falls seven times…” (Prov 24,16) If our first parents were created sinless, and yet in spite of that ideal condition, they managed to sin, who are we to think that we can be without sin, we who even from our own conception already had the original sin?

I was just a bit concerned because a priest recently posted on his social media account that because of this Duterte threat, a pure blackmail actually, to expose the sins of priests, he is not anymore inclined to preach. I immediately reacted that he has no reason to be afraid, even if there indeed are some dirty linen that can be exposed.

We should not fall for that devious ploy. We, priests, bishops and even the Pope, all have our share of human weakness and we can safely presume that we all have sinned and continue to sin one way or another. But this does not prevent us from doing our sacred duty to preach, to administer the sacraments, to lead souls in their spiritual journey, etcetera.

Remember what the Letter to the Hebrews says: “For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, and offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness.” (5,1-2)

From these words, we can deduce that a priest’s weakness and even his falls could and should be a good factor to make him more compassionate with the others, more effective in his preaching and in his ministry in general.

The only thing to consider is that the priest, just like anybody else, has to acknowledge his weakness, faults, mistakes and sins, ask pardon for them, learn precious lessons from them, do some atonement, and then move on, doing what he is supposed to do, struggling to sanctify himself while doing his ministry.

Everyone is supposed to carry out a lifelong ascetical struggle to achieve holiness. Everyone has to fight. We can fight and win. We can also fight and lose, and yet we should just get up and fight again. This has always been the law of our life here on earth.

This is expressed in that passage from the Book of Proverbs cited above: “The just man falls seven times, and rises again.” If the right to preach and carry out the priestly ministry would spring only when one is sinless, then there would be no one to continue Christ’s mission for human salvation. In fact, there would be no need for human salvation.

Someone has aptly said that “the Church is a hospital for sinners, not a museum of saints,” and that “every saint has a past, every sinner has a future.” We should start to feel at home with this reality.

In spite of our weaknesses, and even because of our weaknesses, etcetera, priests have a great, God-given duty to carry out in the world. In spite of our unworthiness, we, priests, are given a crucial mission.

If for one reason or another, priests are dragged into the pit of shame, let’s remember that Christ, our Master, had been mocked, scourged, crowned with thorns, and crucified too. We are told that the disciple cannot be above his Master. So, when these ugly things come, then let’s just welcome them, and suffer them together with Christ. We know that the whole experience would have a wonderful ending.

Let’s avoid playing the game of the devil. As long as we are earnest in sanctifying ourselves, we would just be fine, even if along the way, some falls would take place, and some enemies of our soul and of the Church would take advantage of them.

We should lose the fear of shame over our weaknesses and sinfulness. If we persist in doing good, in carrying out our duties, in taking care of our spiritual life, in obeying God’s commands and the Church’s urgings, all our weaknesses and sinfulness would be outshone and converted into some kind of spiritual fertilizers.