One of the most troublesome things I observe in myself and others is the inability to to come to terms with our personal – and especially moral – weaknesses.
Generally, we know the human condition is one characterized by disorder, division, imbalance. We see the effects of evil all around us. We don’t have any trouble admitting that.
But when it comes to sizing up our own personal condition, all kinds of craziness and problems ensue. Everything from denial, to anger, to blaming others, to unhealthy guilt.
Let’s add another complication that can make it even more difficult to come to terms with these personal realities: religious language.
Any truth religious language might reveal is too often resisted because of the very fact it’s wrapped in religious language. Behind that resistance is personal pride and perhaps a refusal to give up one or more vices. Even worse, sometimes the ability for some to see themselves in the light of truth is made nearly impossible by deep hurts received from “religious” people or institutions.
In religious terms, we all are suffering from original sin. Because of original sin all was thrown out of balance, and disharmony, disease and death entered our world. But it is personal sin that defines for us more immediately the disorder and evil in our individual lives and that perpetuates the general human condition.
No matter how much we try to exact perfection out of ourselves, we still fall – and sometimes quite miserably.
While we won’t entirely eliminate personal sin or the lingering, predisposing effects of original sin, we have a remedy provided by the Church. And that’s the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Here, we can go before the person representing Christ – and who has the authority through Christ – to set us free from the sins that bind us. Here we can confidently name without fear our moral lapses and receive absolution from them.
In addition to confessing specific sins, we can bring back order into our lives and fight our sinful inclinations through love, which can be a form of penance. Sometimes it’s easier to initiate a new action (or virtue) than to stop an old habit (or vice). Love is the antidote, and it is something we can do. And just as good healthy grass can crowd out a number of ugly weeds, so charity can cover many a sin.