"What is the most common sin encountered by people all over the world?" This question was posed to me by a student of mine, who along with 19 other boys and girls were attending preparatory lessons to receive the sacrament of Confirmation. Almost every student voiced their opinion on the matter, where they spoke about how modern people of all gender, age, income level, societal status, educational qualifications, etcetera, are no exception to sin. Venial and grave sins do not choose some people and leave others. Every person has the freedom to side with the Satan, who causes man and woman into sin. A sinner by no means is in the midst of his or her neighbors, therefore this virus of sin can influence other people too. The aforementioned points were raised by the students, and I was intrigued by their thought process.

The students then came up with a statement as a conclusion of their discussion. They said that the most common sin in today's world is that people are not aware of the fact that they are in fact sinners! They keep committing sins because they understand that sin is something common, and everybody does it. They know that certain acts are sinful, but they are not able to prevent themselves in doing so because they feel that sin is common and enjoyable.

Once, while I was listening to the confession of a young woman, who seemed rather pious in the sense that she would frequent the sacrament of confession on a monthly basis. I asked her, “What should you say for the fact that you keep repeating the same sins, and confess them over and over again?” Her answer was not surprising to be because of the common perception about sin in people’s life. She simply said, “I just enjoy them!”

Oh God, help us sinners!