JESUS DOESN'T 'OVERLOOK' OUR SINS. ANYTHING BUT.

 I sat in the pew this morning with my mouth open, gaping at the priest who was telling us that God 'overlooks our sins'.

He was talking about Zacchaeus, a tax collector and so a public sinner, who was told by Jesus to come down quickly from that sycamore tree, because Jesus was coming to dinner at his place.

Jesus overlooked his sins, said Father, and He made the first move in telling him to come down.

I hate to contradict Father, but in fact it was Zacchaeus who made the first move, by climbing the tree. He wanted to see Jesus.

Far from overlooking our sins, Jesus is deeply affected, hurt and offended by them. To Sister Josefa Menendez of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, a Spanish mystic of the 20th century, Jesus said, The obstinacy of a guilty soul wounds My Heart deeply (but the tender affection of one who loves Me not only heals the wound, but turns away the effects of My Father's justice).

To Sister Mary of the Trinity, a Poor Clare of Jerusalem, also a mystic of last century, He said, At the least sign of repentance, My Heart is aflame with joy, and I wait with inexpressible love for the sinner to turn towards Me.

And again, to Sister Josefa: I pursue sinners as justice pursues criminals. But justice seeks them in order to punish, I in order to forgive.

I am consumed with desire to pardon …

Poor sinners, how blind they are! I want only to forgive them, and they seek only to offend Me. That is my great sorrow; that so many are lost and that they do not all come to Me to be forgiven.

Obviously our sins are not something to be 'overlooked', either by Jesus Christ or by us.