Today, unless we speak of corporate or systematic evil, there is a general hesitancy to use the word sin. We rarely hear someone simply and humbly say, without reference to circumstances or excuse: “I’ve sinned.” Fr. Rolheiser writes that we are poorer for being unable to say that because our sense of sin relates to our love. To sin is to betray in love. To have lost a sense of personal sin is to have lost a sense of being personally and deeply loved. Lovers know that their immaturity, woundedness, and neuroses are part of their struggles. They also know that, ultimately, there is something called betrayal, sin. Admitting that we sin gives us the space to be honest and a place to receive forgiveness. When we refuse to acknowledge that we sin, we are forced to be dishonest because, in the end, no one can honestly stand before God and others and not have to say: “I am weak; I do things I shouldn’t. The good I want to do, I cannot. The evil I want to avoid, I end up doing. I need forgiveness.” Not to say this is to lie. Not admitting sin forces us to rationalize, give excuses, project blame, and over-emphasize psychological and sociological influences on our behavior. A lady who has been coming to me for the sacrament of reconciliation for some time always begins her confession with the beautiful phrase: “I am a loved sinner.” In that expression, she correctly balances the most essential truths of humanity: We are sinners, and we are loved despite it. To admit sin sets us free to receive love under the only condition it can be genuinely offered. Acknowledging that we are loved, despite sin, sets us free from false guilt and self-hatred.