I had just come home from Confession and was making dinner, with Mary as my little cooking companion. Mary disappeared for a couple of minutes, then emerged, at which point I realized she had been silently doing mischief in the pantry.
"Mary, have you been eating something in the pantry?" (I should not have asked her a direct question when I knew the answer already--putting her in a position to lie--but old habits die hard.)
"No," said with a sweet smile.
Now picture that my three-and-a-half-year-old was covered in unsweetened cocoa powder all over her face and the front of her shirt. I got a "confession" out of her, gently wiped off her face, and gave her a "penance" (time out).
Having just come from sacramental Confession, it occurred to me in that moment that God sees us as that little preschooler with chocolate powder all over face as we deny, perhaps even to ourselves, that we did anything wrong. Even as we walk about our daily life with venial sins accumulating inside us--and we hope no mortal sins, but perhaps even those--God can see them as clear as day, even if we put on a good picture for others in our lives.
So, in the spirit of Lent, I remind my Catholic friends to get yourselves to Confession and get that "chocolate powder" lovingly wiped off your face!
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