Acknowledgement of our Sinfulness

We are invited in the start of every single Holy Mass we participate to make an examination of our conscience to bring up to our minds and acknowledge our sins and our sinfulness. This is a great and wonderful grace that many people lose because they are either late to the Holy Mass or they are so used to doing that they don´t realize how important it is and make it nearly in an automatic manner.
For that reason I would like to bring you to the deeply meaning of what the "Acknowledgement of our Sinfulness" actually is and how it could transform the way we pray and live the mysteries that are in the front of our eyes in the renovation of the only and great sacrifice of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: his Incruent Sacrifice of the Holy Mass!
As good Catholics we are taught since we start to step into the Spiritual and Church life (we will meditate on that theme in another time) about the 10 commandments, about the mortal and venial sins and about how it does interfere in our life and in our relationship with God. And we should bear in mind that everyone does commit sins (apart from Jesus and Our Lady).
"For though the upright falls seven times, he gets up again; the wicked are the ones who stumble in adversity."(Proverbs 24:16)
"No distinction is made: all have sinned and lack God´s glory." (Romans 3:23)
If the upright falls into sin about seven times a day imagine ourselves who are not as such upright. Because of our sins we all have lost and lack God´s glory. This is an absolute disgrace. Much more because our sins are the reason why God´s face is taken away from us.
The prophet Isaiah is who teaches us how does that happen:
"No, the arm of Yahweh is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear, but your guilty deeds have made a gulf between you and your God. Your sins have made him hide his face from you so as not to hear you, since your hands are stained with blood and your fingers with guilt; your lips utter lies, your tongues murmur wickedness." (Isaiah 59:1-3)
Many people as Christians, mainly Catholics to be fair, complain sometimes that God does not listen to their prayers or that he does not want to do what is good and for his own sake interfere in the story changing and making something would be essential like healing those who are sick, bringing back to life those who are dead in sin and in the shadows of false doctrines and misleading religions. It´s a big mystery really, but our duty is to be in a holy condition where we could also be used by God in order to help or contribute in this sense.
AND HOW TO DO THAT IF WE ARE ALL SINNING ALL THE TIME? WE WILL ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SINS, RECOGNIZE WHAT WE ARE AND WHAT WE DO, REGRET AND REPENT FOR SUCH STUFF AND ASK GOD FOR HIS FORGIVENESS.
That is basically the 4  important and necessary steps we need to give in order to achieve our goal with this first formation today. We will aim ourselves up with the power of the Holy Bible and ask for the Holy Spirit to come and help us understand and put that into practice in our lives.
Let´s start with the wonderful letter Saint John wrote that will generate hope in our hearts, for many times we have the temptation to hide our sins or pretend we did not do that or did not have the intention to do such and such thing. Let´s make something very concrete: stop lying or pretending! First to ourselves, then to God and after all to others as well.
"If we say, 'We have no sin,' we are deceiving ourselves, and truth has no place in us; if we acknowledge our sins, he is trustworthy and upright, so that he will forgive our sins and will cleanse us from all evil. If we say, 'We have never sinned,' we make him a liar, and his word has no place in us." (1 John 1:8-10)
God knows that at times we are not lying or pretending something we are not. It is just a matter of actually not knowing how to acknowledge our sins since we don´t even know what are they. And Jesus knows we are small and wicked and hopeless. That is why he sends to us the one that helps us, the wonderful third person of the Holy Trinity: The Holy Spirit, our Paraclete!
Jesus left us with such wonderful words during the Last Supper, before his Passion, Death and Resurrection. It is a word for his apostles, for his followers, for those who are part of his mystical body and for all men of good will.
"Still, I am telling you the truth: it is for your own good that I am going, because unless I go, the Paraclete will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement: about sin: in that they refuse to believe in me; about who was in the right: in that I am going to the Father and you will see me no more; about judgement: in that the prince of this world is already condemned." (John 16:7-11)
The Holy Spirit helps us to recognize our sins since he shows us what is sin, what are our sins, as long we let him does whatever he wants to do in us. The first thing we need to do is ask for his help! He was not sent by Jesus in order to be forgotten! Many Catholics nowadays keeps forgetting about the Holy Spirit or treat him like anything unworthy. Let me help you to remember: HE IS GOD AND NOT ONLY A MERE POWER OR WHISPER! HE IS GOD!
Jesus said he will send the Paraclete to be our help and guide but he also said we need to ask the Father for the Holy Spirit!
"So I say to you: Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; everyone who knocks will have the door opened. What father among you, if his son asked for a fish, would hand him a snake? Or if he asked for an egg, hand him a scorpion? If you then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-13)
It is the wonderful Holy Spirit of God who will help us to recognize and call to mind our sins and acknowledge them. Put them in the front of our own eyes. Ohhhhhh my brothers and sisters... how that is important! It is only when we recognize our sins that God can forgive us. It is throughout the power of the blood of Jesus Christ that our sins are cleansed but we need to give that step of recognizing them!
RECOGNIZE AND ACKNOWLEDGE OUR SINS IS NOT A SIGNAL OF WEAKNESS BUT OF FAITH AND HOPE. THAT IS A SIGNAL OF MATURITY AND GREAT CONFIDENCE IN THE ONE WHO MAKES HIS LIGHT SHINE UPON US AND WHEN WE ARE IN THAT LIGHT, WE SHARE THE LIFE OF GOD AND THE LIFE OF OUR BRETHREN.
"This is what we have heard from him and are declaring to you: God is light, and there is no darkness in him at all. If we say that we share in God´s life while we are living in darkness, we are lying, because we are not living the truth. But if we live in light, as he is in light, we have a share in another´s life, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin." (1 John 1:5-7)
Those are wonderful news but it could happen to you that you knew about all of that even before reading this all in here. The big thing you are invited to do today is not to know about all of this but to do something! Knowing about the sin does not make you just but you are justified by asking for forgiveness and humiliating yourself beyond the face of God.
Even though you knew about everything you read and nothing is new for you, make a commitment with God now: to renew and once again renounce to your evil ways and get back to his wonderful light. Let his grace come upon you.
We need to give the first step in that direction and God himself will give seven steps in our direction: guiding our feet up in the right path, pouring down his grace upon us like a impetuous rain,  his mercy and love will clean us all and we will be his beloved children, set free from sin.
"When you stretch out your hands I turn my eyes away. You may multiply your prayers, I shall not be listening. Your hands are covered in blood, wash, make yourselves clean. Take your wrong-doing out of my sight. Cease doing evil. Learn to do good, search for justice, discipline the violent, be just to the orphan, plead for the widow. 'Come, let is talk this over,' says Yaweh. 'THOUGH YOUR SINS ARE LIKE SCARLET, THEY SHALL BE WHITE AS SNOW; THOUGH THEY ARE RED AS CRIMSON, THEY SHALL BE LIKE WOOL. If you are willing to obey, you shall eat the good things of the earth." (Isaiah 1:15-19)
As well as the acknowledgement as to recognize and ask for forgiveness is a grace from the Holy Spirit, the contrition of heart that produces regret and lead to a repent soul is also a grace from him. So, inspired by the Holy Spirit with great confidence in the love our God, we want to approach him and ask for the Holy Spirit to guide and lead our hearts deeply into that 4 important and essential steps: acknowledge our sins, recognize what we are and what we do, regret and repent with all our hearts and ask for his forgiveness.
Let´s take advantage of the Holy Scriptures and pray with the Psalm David wrote after having sinned with Bathsheba. Make your prayer with that and don´t be too attached to what is written. Bring it to your own life and ask God to forgive your personal sins. That is the most important thing: make it personal to your own life. If you feel that at any stage you feel something from your own where you identify yourself with David stop there and pray over (even though you don´t pray with the whole Psalm).
"Have mercy on me, O God, in your faithful love, in your great tenderness wipe away my offences; wash me clean from my guilt, purify me from my sin. For I am well aware of my offences, my sin is constantly in mind. Against you, you alone, I have sinned, I have done what you see to be wrong, that you may show your saving justice when you pass sentence, and your victory may appear when you give judgement, remember, I was born guilty, a sinner from the moment of conception. But you delight in sincerity of heart, and in secret you teach me wisdom. Purify me with hyssop till I am clean, wash me till I am whiter than snow. Let me hear the sound of joy and gladness, and the bones you have crushed will dance. Turn away your face from my sins, and wipe away all my guilt. God, create in me a clean heart, renew within me a resolute spirit, do not thrust me away from your presence, do not take away from me your spirit of holiness. Give me back the joy of your salvation, sustain in me a generous spirit. I shall teach the wicked your paths, and sinners will return to you. Deliver me from bloodshed, God, God of my salvation, and my tongue will acclaim your saving justice. Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will speak out your praise. Sacrifice gives you no pleasure, burnt offering you do not desire. Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, contrite heart you never scorn. In your graciousness do good to Zion, rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will delight in upright sacrifices, -burnt offerings and whole oblations -- and young bulls will be offered on your altar". (Psalms 51:1-21)

"I made my sin known to you, did not conceal my guilt. I said, 'I shall confess my offence to Yaweh.' And you, for your part, took away my guilt, forgave my sin." (Psalms 32:5)

May God bless you and give you strength and wisdom to get into this battle against sinning and to get back to normality of pureness and holiness: the kind of life that please God and the one we were made to live - preparing ourselves to the kind of life we are going to live in the eternity with our Lord.
Praised and blessed be God forever!