On a Scale of One to Ten...

I've been thinking about doing wrong.

This morning at Mass one of our youngest choir members was doing wrong.  She wanted extra sitting space because she had on a big dress.  To get more space, she punched the little singer standing next to her.  Definitely doing wrong - maybe a 3 on a scale of one to ten.

Reminding the girls to be nice and keep their hands to themselves, I settled back on the piano bench.  Out of the corner of my eye, I saw our little harasser making a fist again seconds before letting our little victim have it!  Definitely doing wrong - something like a 7 on our scale.  Definitely a worse example of doing wrong; after all, she knew she wasn't supposed to do it and did it anyway.

We are all guilty of doing wrong at times, and sometimes the doing wrong is worse than other times.  I believe when I've done wrong, I've learned from my mistake and corrected my course.  It's rare for me to make the same mistakes twice; I sure wouldn't have made the second fist!

As many times as I've done wrong, I've suffered the consequences.  I've found ways to atone.  I've sought forgiveness from people I've wronged.  I've felt cushioned by Grace.  And most difficult of all things, I've forgiven myself.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD, slow to anger, abounding in kindness.
God does not always rebuke, nurses no lasting anger,
Has not dealt with us as our sins merit, nor requited us as our deeds deserve.
As the heavens tower over the earth, so God's love towers over the faithful.
As far as the east is from the west, so far have our sins been removed from us.
                                   Psalm 103:8-12

I will probably fail to do right again.  When I do, I hope to manage my failure the best I can, suffer my consequences, and then continue moving closer to Christ.

What I will never do is make a fist again after being told not to.

There are six things the LORD hates, yes, seven are an abomination to him;
Haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood;
A heart that plots wicked schemes, feet that run swiftly to evil,
The false witness who utters lies, and he who sows discord among brothers.
                                  Proverbs 6:16-19

The verse could just as easily read: "the LORD loves those with humble eyes, a truthful tongue, hands that protect the innocent, a heart that plans good, feet that hurry to help, a truthful witness, and someone who brings harmony to families" (The New American Bible:  The Catholic Youth Bible Revised, 757).

When I stand before Christ I have no desire to be ashamed of my journey as a Christian woman.  To achieve the kind of character called for in Proverbs, I know I have plenty of work to do - enough that I have no time to worry about what anyone else is doing