The Divine Physician - Part 2



In a post last week (found just down this page) I offered a perspective on the Sacrament of Reconciliation that presented Jesus as our Divine Physician. Christ comes to heal the wounds of our soul which sin has caused. Unlike our doctor, however, Jesus has authority and power of his own by which we are restored in right relationship with God through his merciful forgiveness.

Yet, I know well through years of pastoral ministry, and through my own personal experience with this beautiful sacrament of healing, that some common questions may be the following: “But I keep falling into the same sin over and over again” or “It’s been so long since I’ve been to confession that I don’t know where or how to begin.” or “What will Father think of me when he sees me at Sunday Mass if he knows what I’ve done?”

If these sound familiar let me offer this. We find ourselves in certain habitual rituals: we rise at the same time every morning, go to bed about the same time at night. We eat the same two or three things every week for breakfast, we even follow an order in our bathroom rituals, we tend to travel to the same places because they are familiar or read the same types of books or watch favorite television shows or movies. And we do these over and over again. The point is, we are creatures of habit. We generally don’t like surprises or sudden events that change this pattern without warning. The older we get the more we are set in our ways. The same can be true for sin. Even sin can offer us a certain comfort.

By that I mean that we all tend to excuse ourselves easily. The opposite extreme of that would be scrupulosity where we never excuse ourselves for anything and carry constant guilt. But, for the most part we may find that virtue and good behavior is hard work. While the vast majority of us are good people it is surely not easy to be good all the time. We are not angels and this isn’t heaven!

So, we may find a certain unsettled but familiar comfort in repetitive behavior that I know deep down is not pleasing to the Lord (sin) – but in light of the big picture I may say, “O, it really isn’t that bad.” Gossip, “white lies,” avoidance of someone uncomfortable, habits of greed or lust that are selfish in nature, criticism of others that is “only teasing,” and such things may not directly wreak havoc on others but in the end they harm me more. Still, why should I not confess them?

Yes, change may come slowly and I may find myself falling into the same sins again but if we truly want to bring the good news of Christ to every part of our lives, then this Sacrament is one way to do so. Just as we wash our hands several times a day, take a shower every morning, brush our teeth daily, comb our hair, eat the same favorite foods, and all the other things we do habitually, so too can we see growth beyond the pattern if we confess the same sins over and over again with the hope that the more we do – the less we will need to. Sometimes, I think God allows such things to remain in order to form us in humility. As St. Paul recognized his “thorn in the flesh” that he was not able to overcome (2 Cor 12: 7-10) so do we give God glory through our constant humility.

If it has been a long time since your last confession, just tell the priest that and begin anywhere. Follow the priest’s lead on this and be honest. Describe to him how many years and that you may have difficulty identifying sin. We can become soft and flabby, figuratively speaking of course, in our spiritual life just as we can in our bodies if we never exercise and eat poorly.

And last, the concern about what Father will think of you. I can assure you there is a grace I like to call “spiritual amnesia” in this sacrament. It serves me no purpose to remember what I’ve heard since the seal of the sacrament is so absolute - “in one ear and out the other!” I hope we are not so petty to incriminate a good person by using their behavior against them. That would be a serious violation of the sacrament and any priest who would do such would be called on the carpet big time. We priests view our role in this sacrament with humility. I am humbled many times over through the sincerity of a penitent and would only gain admiration for one who wants to move forward and leave sin behind.

May this God of Lenten mercy shower this grace upon all of us.

P.S. Buy a copy of Pope Benedict XVI new book on Jesus of Nazareth.  I've begun to read it and have found it easy to comprehend - an inspiration. The world is blessed in him.