Have you ever notice how people answer when they must give an account of something… negative that has happened. You will hear:

“The cup fell and got broken.”
“This thing got lost.”
“So-and-so made me do that…”

All these statements have one thing in common: they ‘free’ someone from the responsibility of having done something.
He did not break the cup, she did not lose something, and if they did something wrong, well… it was the fault of somebody else!

This reflection came to me as I read the very first line of the first reading of this Sunday (6^th Sunday of Year A – Si.15:15-20):
“If you wish, you can keep the commandments,
To behave faithfully is in your power.”

Being free, yes, from having to look for excuses, free from feeling obliged to find a scapegoat.
Being able to say:

“I did it.”
“It is my mistake.”
“It is my fault, I am sorry.”

What a liberating experience!
And the way to… human and Christian maturity!

Source: Image: www.nikkenu.com