Is “what have I done or failed to do” really a sin?
You may ask yourself that question as you prepare for, or possibly excuse yourself from, receiving the sacrament of reconciliation. But a laundry list perception of sin misses the larger picture of how it impacts one’s relationship with God, others and self, say priests and spiritual directors of the Diocese of Baton Rouge
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, in referring to the teachings of the doctors of the church, defines sin as “an offense against reason, truth and right conscience; it is failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, a deed or a desire contrary to the eternal law’ ” (CCC 1849).
“Sin is when we prioritize a created thing over the creator, God; anytime we put God second,” said Father Todd Lloyd, pastor of Immaculate Conception Church in Lakeland.
When thinking about sin, a natural tendency for many is to ponder, “How serious is my sin really?” Is it as serious as (sins other people may commit)? This particularly happens if one is “weighing” venial vs. mortal sin, clergy members agreed.
Venial sins do not separate us from the love of God but do wound our relationship with him, according to Father Brent Maher, pastor of St. Agnes Church in Baton Rouge.
“Mortal sins are those of a grave or serious nature whereby we separate ourselves entirely from the life and love of God. The three conditions are: the sin is grave in nature, we know it is grave and we choose it anyway,” said Father Maher.
One may be tempted to look at venial sin from a mathematic equation lens, such as, do a certain number of unconfessed venial sins “cross over the line” into mortal sin?
“While venial sins do not separate us from the life and love of God, it doesn’t mean they’re not a big deal and we don’t have to worry about them wreaking havoc in our lives,” said Father Maher. “Venial sins predispose us to commit more sins, weakens our will to do the good things we intend and wounds our relationship with God, others and self.
“These sins can certainly begin to pile up and lead one straight into mortal sin,” he added. “In fact, that’s one of the ways the devil gets us most often. We think a ‘little sin’ isn’t a bad thing and then before we know it, we’re sliding quickly down the hill toward serious sin.”
Father Lloyd used the analogy of bodily health. Mortal sins cause death to the soul, while venial sins cause sickness of the soul. However, the more sick one becomes, the closer one becomes to death.
“St. Paul talks about this in the letter to the Romans, that sin darkens our senses, so the more engrossed we are in venial sin, the (further) in darkness we get,” said Father Lloyd.
Looking at the damage caused by sin to people’s relationships with others, Father Lloyd said Adam and Eve’s sin caused a division in their relationship with God, with each other and themselves.
“They lost the divine life that was in them; in mortality they lost gifts that God had given to them naturally and they even lost personal dignity,” he said. “They fell into shame, they became shameful of their own bodies, it caused the disorder in every kind of relationship you can have.”
Becky Eldredge, an Ignatian-trained spiritual director, retreat facilitator and author, said sin binds us and leaves us restless and searching. It can make an individual feel unworthy to be loved by God or to receive God’s mercy.
“It is not uncommon for any of us to feel embarrassed or ashamed of our sins, weaknesses or failures,” said Eldredge. “Sin can cause us to feel great shame.
“When we feel like this, it causes us to take a step back from the very one who can help heal us and forgive us – God. There is no part of us that Jesus does not love.”
She encourages people to remember Jesus is the “great re-imaginer.”
“He can heal us and help us re-imagine our lives. He can help us forgive in places we thought we could never forgive. He can help us heal in places we thought were permanently broken. Jesus’ healing power is life changing,” said Eldredge.
In giving spiritual direction Eldredge leans on the wisdom of St. Ignatius of Loyola, who invited people to pray and ponder on God’s love and mercy before taking a look at their sins and failures.
“From the lens of love and our goodness, St. Ignatius invites us to then ask God to show us where we are falling short and where we need healing and forgiveness,” said Eldredge.
Spiritual direction is valuable in helping individuals become aware of what gets in their way of fully loving and following Jesus. Discernment of spirits helps people pay attention to the moments of consolation, or moving closer to God, and desolation, or moving away from God.
Desolation makes people feel a drop in spirit and they become discouraged, separated, alone, anxious, fearful and doubtful. With consolation individuals experience the gifts of peace, hope, love, joy, mercy and courage.
With Lent’s emphasis on sin and repentance, one may wonder if there are “points of light” or grace in examining the darkness of their sins.
Father Lloyd, Father Maher and Eldredge said this is where God’s divine mercy shines through.
“When we have the courage to look at the areas of our life that need healing, transformation and forgiveness, we are opening ourselves up to freedom that comes from Christ’s healing touch. The same power that we see come out of Jesus in the Scriptures and enters people is available to us when we pray or when we receive the sacraments,” Father Lloyd said.
And Lent is the perfect time to pick up on the message of the church that “the light is on for you” to receive this through the sacrament of reconciliation.
“In (St.) Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus tells us, ‘Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened and I will give you rest,’ ” said Father Maher.
“I see the sacrament of confession being a concrete fulfillment of this,” he said. “As priest and penitent, the audible exhalation and the look of peace upon one’s face are clear signs of the rest of God being given to the soul who hears the words of absolution, ‘I absolve you from your sins.’
“How sweet are those words. They are a salve to heal the aching soul and a gift of life, light, and hope brought into what is often darkness, discouragement and shame.”