Cultivating Genuine Sorrow for One’s Sins
My Jesus … through your infinite mercy … grant me further participation in … [your] suffering … in the Garden of Gethsemane, so that this suffering may make me weep over my sins. (OOCC, X, pp. 367 - 368; STA, 394)
St. Vincent Pallotti often called himself “nothingness and sin.” He believed that he was not worthy of God’s love because he had by his many faults failed to bring the glory God deserves. Having acknowledged his ungratefulness to God, he cultivated genuine sorrow for his sins. He wanted to participate in the sufferings of Jesus, especially in his agony and passion, in order to make reparation for his many failures. Following the directive of Jesus in the beatitude that those who mourn would be comforted, St. Vincent constantly mourned his failures and shortcomings by performing acts of penance in the spirit of living out in his life the passion and suffering of Jesus. Thus, the cultivation of genuine sorrow by way of performing various acts of penance, in view of mourning over his sins of commission and omission against God, made St. Vincent live his everyday life as a penitent. Living the life of a penitent on an everyday basis, he made immense progress in his spiritual journey towards God.
Do I acknowledge that I am sinful and unworthy of God’s love? Do I recognize that by my shortcomings, I fail to give the glory God deserves? Do I live the life of a true penitent? Do I participate in the sufferings of Christ as a means to mourn over my sins? Does the penitential life I undertake help me to make progress in my spiritual life?
Blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted. (Mt. 5: 4)