It is one thing to believe that sometime in the future you will be forgiven and thus your actions in the present are not important. It is another thing to realize the gravity of the evil you have done and experience in an intimate way that you have been forgiven. For example, to look into the eyes of someone you have hurt and say, “I am sorry” and for it to be received with gratitude. To experience the possibility of being forgiven is something that sets forth a wave of mercy in one’s heart. As our Lord says, Those who have been forgiven more, love more.
But what keeps us from experiencing God’s mercy is that we do not fully understand the gravity of the sins we commit. We think, “What’s the big deal, everyone is doing it.” We downplay the seriousness of sin. Another common thought trap is that people won’t love me if they know the evil I have done. Even if the world judges us harshly, our Lord looks upon a contrite heart that seeks reconciliation with tenderness. As the Psalm says, “A humble, contrite heart you will not spurn.”
Our Lord says, Be perfect for I am perfect, but he doesn’t leave you to figure it out without his help. He has laid a framework for you to be transformed from “glory to glory” and he only asks that you take one step at a time and continuously deepen the experience of his mercy. In this way, even when we sin, God provides for us to receive his mercy. The growth towards perfection is a long process, but each step of the way the Lord provides.
You might say, this is impossible. Yes, and our Lord responds, For man it is impossible, but for God all things are possible. Our ascent to God is achieved by learning to respond to and move with his grace.