Maintaining a car is no cheap proposition. Oil changes aren’t too bad, but those occasional lube jobs can be a bit costly to someone on a limited income, yet they are necessary routine expenses if a car is to be kept in optimum condition. They are bargains compared to replacing the timing belt. As one friend learned recently, failing to replace a timing belt in a timely manner can destroy an engine beyond repair. Maintaining our bodies likewise is a necessary investment if we are to remain healthy. Any doctor will tell you the need for a good diet, exercise, and adequate sleep if you want to be healthy. Ignore any of these and sooner or later you could pay the price with a serious illness or an accident. What is true for the well-being of our bodies and cars is true for our souls as well. These readings tell us that repentance is as important for the well-being of our souls as a lube job would be for a car or a good diet for the body. Isaiah calls the Israelites to repentance. “Make straight in the wasteland a highway to our God!” Peter tells his listeners, “All should come to repentance.” John the Baptist appears in the desert with the same message, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. Those who heard him firsthand responded by acknowledging their sins. I wouldn’t be surprised if John’s call to repentance doesn’t move a number of you one bit. You might be thinking, “Father, we’re not bad people. Would we even be here listening to you if we were?”
According to US Catholic, there has been a real shift in many Catholics’ attitude toward sin and the sacrament of reconciliation. Nearly half of all those interviewed had never or rarely celebrated the sacrament. They saw no need to do so or they had a litany of excuses. Perhaps it was a matter of convenience. “Father, I am busy on Saturdays.” Another excuse was, “Father, I am not a sinner.” In reply, I would have to say, “Excuse me? You mean to say that you aren’t human?” One trait we all share is that we sin, some more than others. Some of us may be in a state of denial, not seeing a certain act as sinful. Others downplay its harmful potential. “It is just a little sin, Father.” We shouldn’t kid ourselves about the harmful effects of sin in our lives anymore than we would ignore the harmful effects of smoking. A cigarette by itself won’t do much harm but added up over a period of time, cigarettes do pose a grave danger to one’s health. The same could be said for the accumulation of our sins. When left unchecked, they pose a grave danger to our relationship with God and others. Last week, I described small sins like dust particles. The sins of good people are dusty kinds of sin, rarely noticed without a closer look: complacency, smugness, procrastination, envy, taking people for granted, self-preoccupation, chronic complaining, pettiness, rudeness, ingratitude, and laziness.
Those sinful conditions are in need of repentance, much like any other sin for they can keep the presence of God remote to our experience. In biblical times, people knew that they had violated divine laws. Today, people are not so sure that right and wrong exist or that we are responsible for our actions. Sin seems to be a foreign word in our secular culture. It has no meaning for some beyond “something that some people think is bad.” We devote two Sundays each advent to John the Baptist and his call to repentance for one very obvious reason. If we are to truly receive Jesus Christ into our hearts, then first they must be changed and that only happens through repentance. That is best done by celebrating what I call the forgotten sacrament, reconciliation. In his name, Jesus has given power to priests to forgive sins. Sadly, this is one gift that many of us ignore, much like a Christmas present that we don’t appreciate or don’t know how to use. So like the forgotten present tucked away in a closet, we don’t bother to make use of this divine gift.
In case you didn’t know, every sin confessed to a priest remains a secret. We call this the seal of confession. A priest has to guard that secret and usually does by erasing it from his memory. What matters is not how often one celebrates this sacrament but how well. Take time to examine your conscience. Do some soul searching to remind you of your sins. When you come, tell the priest how long it has been since you have been to confession, and then share with him your sins. The sacrament was not designed by God to punish us but to offer us comfort. Reconciliation is an incredible opportunity for us to grow closer to God by wiping clean whatever it is that hinders us from fully knowing his divine love. For those who prefer to confess anonymously, I urge you to either visit a neighboring parish or come to our Advent reconciliation service on Wednesday, December 14th at 7 PM when Fr. Powell from Oak Harbor will be here. Come on this evening and “prepare the way of the Lord. Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God!”