In recent weeks, the daily Mass readings were from 2 Samuel and for several days we heard stories of King David. As the scriptures about David, Bathsheba, Uriah, and Nathan were proclaimed, I found myself responding with unexpected emotion. My heart was deeply grieved by the gravity of David’s sins to the point where I was holding back tears. The same overwhelming emotion struck me daily as the story progressed. I’ve never had an experience quite like this before that prompted a desire to weep at the scope and magnitude of sin. But sorrow for sin is a grace!

Compunction is a deep, grace-filled sorrow for sin that pierces the heart leading to repentance and healing. The word is derived from the Latin for “to prick hard” and is a grace that flows from love of God.  This deep sorrow is rooted in a profound awareness that it is sin that keeps us from God’s incredible love. It elicits an ache over the distance sin puts between us and the One we love, because we want nothing more than to have all barriers between Him and us removed.

As we continue our Lenten journey, I encourage you to pray for the grace of compunction. May love for God so consume you that your soul is pierced by an aching desire to never have sin separate you from the One who loves you more than you can imagine.