"But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!"
Time for some straight talking:
God sees everything. We know this because it is written in Ecclesiasticus 17: "Their ways are always under his eyes,
they cannot be hidden from his sight."
In this passage of scripture we hear a warning. God says "Beware of all wrongdoing".
This is our Father giving us good paternal advice.
He knows we are sinful creatures and he knows how easy it is for us to make fault so scripture is absolutely packed with proverbial advice: don't consort with sinners, don't walk their way, choose the right path, don't tread two paths etc. It's all about living a righteous life and avoiding sin.
On further examination of the scripture God goes on to explain who he is in relation to us. He is all seeing, all knowing, nothing is hidden from him.
He knows all our conscious and unconscious reasoning.
"Their ways are always under his eyes,
they cannot be hidden from his sight.
Over each nation he will set a governor,
but Israel is the Lord's own portion.
All their works are as the sun to him,
and his eyes rest constantly on their ways.
Their iniquities are not hidden from him,
all their sins are before the Lord.
A man's almsgiving is like a signet ring to him,
he cherishes a man's generosity like the pupil of his eye.
One day he will rise and reward them,
He will pay back their deserts on their own heads.
But to those who repent he permits return,
and he encourages those who were losing hope.
Return to the Lord and leave sin behind,
plead before his face and lessen your offence.
Come back to the Most High and turn away from iniquity,
and hold in abhorrence all that is foul.
Who will praise the Most High in Sheol,
if the living do not do so by giving glory to him?
To the dead, as to those who do not exist, praise is unknown,
only those with life and health can praise the Lord.
How great is the mercy of the Lord,
his pardon on all those who turn towards him!
The words "He will pay back their deserts on their own heads" is worth some reflection. God is always encouraging is to do good, to do the right thing. The reason he wants us to do this is because he desires to reward us. But he warns us that this repayment can go one of two ways. "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad."
In Isaiah 59:18 it says "He will repay according to their deeds". In Romans 12:19 God says he "will repay". Jesus tells us in Matthew 6 that "our Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward us".
So we know that our actions and behaviours have far reaching consequences and that God will pay back like-for-like. This is why repentance features so highly in scripture. God wishes to honour us and reconcile us to Himself. In fact, it's his desire to gather us together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings (Matthew 23:36). Here we see the maternal and nurturing side of God. He wishes to protect us from sin and its damaging consequences. He aches to forgive us.
God gives us guidance on how to live our lives so that we can enjoy life in the Spirit here on earth and a bountiful inheritance when we go to take our rest: "Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful. “Judge not, and you will not be judged; “Condemn not, and you will not be condemned; “Forgive, and you will be forgiven..." Luke 6:36-37
Jesus gave us an example of how we should live when spoke of a debtor and how he was ordered to pay a king what was owed. He couldn't pay and begged his creditor to be merciful. Amazingly he was compassionate, showed him great pity and cancelled the debt in its entirety .
However, when the man subsequently comes across a colleague of equal standing who similarly owed him much and he responded without mercy. Once the king heard about this he had his mean and nasty servant thrown into gaol.
The fact is, we must develop empathy for God and our brothers and sisters. God is merciful and he asks it from us. In verse 13 of Matthew 9 Jesus say "I desire mercy..." If we wish to be true Christians and sons and daughters of the Most High then we must learn to be charitable and merciful. We must learn to be like our Heavenly Father.
He is this forgiving: When you're forgiven then your sins are tossed into the ocean of God's infinite mercy and never brought to mind.
God never goes looking for a forgiven sin. So don't you.
God's forgiveness is infinite and he will forgive the worst crime you can ever think of.
"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool" (Isaiah 1:18).
God has a name. It's written in Exodus 34:14 that His name is Jealous. But it's not a childish jealousy. It's jealousy born out of His burning love. We know how all-consuming this is because the result was the Word incarnate was sent to die for our sins. God's love was so strong in Jesus that when it came time to face His crucifixion He set His face like flint (Isaiah 50:7). Nothing could stop Jesus going to the cross.
In this we see God's unconditional love. He did not wait for us to identify that we needed redemption. He just did it. And He forgives in a similar way. You might think you have to grovel before Him for forgiveness whereas the truth is that the moment you open your mouth you're forgiven. In fact, even before you say the words your sin has been forgiven. Once forgiven He cannot remember the wrong. It's like a cloak of invisibility has be thrown over the sin. It literally cannot be seen, cannot be remembered. It does not exist.
When we sin it hurts us, our brothers and sisters and God wants to forgive us because we are guarded as the apple of His eye, hidden in the shadow of His wings, saved by His right hand and shown devotion (Psalm 17). You are His masterpiece (Ephesians 2:10) made in His own image and likeness (Genesis 1:27) and He does not want to punish you, or any one of us, no matter how great our wrong.
The chasm which opened up between us and God through original sin is unbridgeable. No one could pay the price for our sins. However, He never condemns us. He's the perfect gentleman. So much so that He offered Himself in Jesus in our place. Jesus did not know sin. He was unblemished. He was the spotless lamb of God. Jesus became sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). All sin got nailed to the cross (Colossians 2:14). He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him and by His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
In scripture we see Jesus hanging from the cross. What looks like a glorious mess is in fact a victory over sin. Although rarely mentioned, it is argued that Satan never really knew whether Jesus was actually the son of God. He suspected it but was never fully certain. We see it in Matthew 4:6. "If you're the son of God..." And again in Matthew 27:40. Here was see Satan mocking Jesus. "If you're the King of the Jews, save yourself!" It is believed that Satan actually thought he was having the victory over Jesus. He believed he was killing Jesus. Imagine the shock; imagine the pure rage when he realised that Jesus had won; that we were all free! He was beaten hands down!
Tradition has it that it was the Archangel Uriel who was given guard over the gates of Heaven with a flaming sword. His job was now over and those souls who had died before the crucifixion flowed into paradise praising God. What a victory.
There was now no more need for the priests of the Old Testament to offer sacrifices for sins because Jesus had become the priest, the altar and the sacrifice. His blood ran thick and warm and covered the alter of Calvary. The lamb had been slain and the world had been saved. The blood that the people shouted for had been spilt and the once and for all sacrifice had been offered to God. God the Father accepted the offering of Jesus and the once great abyss which separated us from full union with the Father was no more. Christ's sacrifice is eternal and this is what we celebrate at mass. What happened over 2000 years ago on that hill outside of Jerusalem has happened directly in front of us on the altar in the church.
The new and everlasting covenant has been established and we are all sons and daughters of the Most High. Not only that but we are co-heirs with Christ - we can now enjoy all of the benefits that Jesus has won for us (Romans 8:17).
We do not suffer the mass in silence - we rejoice because it is a living memorial of his sacrificial love for us.
Put simply: Father God wants us to keep his commandments so he can reward us now and also when we go before him at the end of our lives. God is a friend to righteous people and the gates of the kingdom swing wide for them. So be good.