Turning Away From Sin...

On Ash Weds we are told to turn away from sin and believe in The Gospel, the Gospel is basically defined as The Good News. For many of us turning away from sin is not always good news. Why ? Because if sin did not look, taste, smell or feel good in some way, it would not be so difficult to turn away from.
 In A. A. we are reminded to pray that we might be relieved from the bondage of alcoholism and to ask for relief from the obsession to drink and from  the obsessive nature of our character defects and shortcomings. In the 12 x 12 we are given the parallel of vice and virtue as a way to understand defects of character and/or shortcomings. We are told that the desire to overcome such vice is good but that unless we fill the void, once we have let go of vice, we will simply be empty. However, if we fill the void with anything other than virtue we will simply be pushing sin under the carpet. We will be living a half life, we will be shallow and on edge at best. 
The way of virtue takes huge efforts every day. The way of virtue is a heroic way. The virtuous man is such because he battles and overcomes his desire for vice, ...not because he doesn't have desires or obsessions any more. he battles his willfulness for a willingness. God can relieve us of all temptation but he also desires that we be fully human, ordered and disciplined, overcoming our tainted nature through a dynamic spiritual program. He does not want us to be robots, automatons. Our way of life depends upon a dynamic relationship with Him from whom all good things flow, (all grace). The battle for virtue depends on us being willing...not willful !!!
If we are to turn away from sin what are we going to turn to ?, this is important. 
Let us turn to His Love, His Way, His Will. We surrender our will and our lives over to the care of God, (a caring God), as we understand Him. We must be men and women of prayer and of hope and of faith, and of ACTION. We must pray for good and holy brothers and sisters so that we might be supported. We must watch what we read, watch what we watch, watch what we listen to etc etc etc...I told you virtue takes heroic effort. One day at a time it is possible, not easy but eternally rewarding, turning away from sin is a constant motion. Let us not tire of growing up spiritually, of trying to overcome our temptations, let us never tire of desiring goodness and purity, integrity and honor over the selfishness and pleasure, self gratification and self-centeredness.

 Let us pray for mercy and for healing, for strength and conviction, for a deepening of the gifts we need to confront the crossroads of vice or virtue and to take the road less traveled, to choose recovery over addiction, to overcome sin with grace and action, to choose life over death. 

Why Should We Turn Away From Sin ? Because sin separates us from the Source of Love, sin results in destruction and death. Ours and the death and destruction of those we affect by our sinful acts. If we choose to follow the way less traveled the opposite is true, we have a positive impact on those around us. The world becomes a better place, we live as community, there is a greater chance for peace, the possibilities are endless. 
Let there be sinlessness in our world....and let it begin with me. Maranatha !!!

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