Katie's prayer: Audio Adrenaline's "Ocean Floor"

Your sins are forgotten
They're on the bottom of the ocean floor

Tonight I was reminded of a blog I wrote back in 2008. Honestly, it’s not the first time I’ve gone back to it. No matter how much I try, I can’t get rid of this problem.

Thoughts from 2008 being repeated in my head tonight:

So these are not actually my thoughts. I was sitting in adoration Saturday when this book was calling my name. “One Bread, One Body” like a prayer guide for lent. This was what they had to say for that day. And it just really spoke to me. If you want to read others like this (the other one I read was also AMAZING! I might post it when we get to that day) it’s http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

“Who is there like You, the God Who removes guilt?” —Micah 7:18

In today’s eucharistic Scriptures, the Lord throws our repented sins far into the ocean, into the very depths of the sea (Mi 7:19). Then He puts up a huge sign marked: “No Swimming!” Yet some of us don’t really understand God’s amazing love. We put on a spiritual wetsuit, dive into the ocean to retrieve our guilt, and spend years feeling guilty for having caused God and others so many problems. We’re more comfortable in our prison of guilt than in being set free by Jesus.

The Lord doesn’t want us to move back into prison after He’s set us free. He grabs the guilt we recovered from the sea and tramples it under His feet (Mi 7:19). Jesus is serious. He really doesn’t want us to take back that guilt. At this point, some of us are tempted to feel guilty about feeling guilty. This is why Jesus tells the story about the prodigal son. Jesus wants to see the guilty party — with music and celebration (Lk 15:23, 25).

When we’re truly set free from our prison of guilt, however, not everyone rejoices. People want to put us back into our prison cell. When Jesus removes and tramples our guilt, we are free indeed! (Jn 8:36) Don’t pay attention to what others think. Instead, focus on what Jesus thinks. We must “fix [our] eyes on Jesus” (Heb 3:1). If He is for us, who can be against us? (Rm 8:31) If Jesus alone rejoices to see us free from guilt, then our opponents are outnumbered. “So stand firm, and do not take on yourselves the yoke of slavery” and guilt “a second time” (Gal 5:1).


Prayer: Jesus, may all prisoners come to know in the core of their being the depths of Your mercy and compassion for them.
Promise: “As far as the east is from the west, so far has He put our transgressions from us.” —Ps 103:12
Praise: St. Polycarp calmly accepted martyrdom at age eighty-six after living a life totally devoted to his Lord.

(This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)


I have a problem of constantly diving into that ocean. I keep looking for something I think is there. I know used to be there. But I can’t seem to grasp that it’s already been removed. I can’t move on. Sometimes, just when I think I have, those thoughts creep back into my head and try to make me feel guilty again.