A Chance to Reset Our HeartsRead Time 10 min

With the end of the season of Lent now within sight, our hearts and minds are moved toward the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. That is why our archdiocese will be offering on Wednesday, April 9, our annual special day known as “Pray, Reconcile and Rejoice: 12 Hours of Reconciliation.” In 11 parishes across the counties of southeastern Wisconsin, Catholics will have the opportunity for a dozen continuous hours to go to confession to receive the forgiveness and mercy of our gracious God.

It always is fruitful to dedicate some time to preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation. A period of quiet meditation, a review of life and an examination of conscience are very helpful means to ready ourselves for the spiritual renewal that comes with the prayerful experience of the Rite of Penance.

Whenever I enter into such a period of preparation for the sacrament, I often ponder not only a list of my sins but also strive to identify the origin of these trespasses. I seek to discover the reasons why I commit my sins — hoping to eliminate the motivation that causes the transgressions.

I suspect that we all could come up with our own list of reasons why we sin. Some of those reasons likely would be such matters as human frailty, a lack of resistance, the lure of temptation, the insidious power of evil, the residue of Original Sin, contributing to unjust social structures, succumbing to pride and envy, etc.

Yet, one of the most compelling suggestions I ever heard about the reason we sin was told to me years ago by a wise pastor. He simply stated, “I believe the reason why most people commit sins is simply because we happen to like them.”

Of course, my first reaction to this statement was surprise bordering on shock. The mere thought of delighting in sin seems preposterous. And yet, my wise pastor calmly and quietly made a sound case in his explanation. He noted, “I am not claiming that this is a good reason. It just seems to make sense. We human beings normally are not very good about doing things we do not like to do. We almost always tend to do what we like to do. As proof of this tendency, just think about how often we end up committing and confessing the same type of sins.”

That is a rather compelling argument. And, I think, deep down, if we were truly honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that this is true. For example, we enjoy getting our way, so we tend to act selfishly. We like to control situations, so we tend to use anger to boss people around. We like to be nosy and are overly curious, so we tend to engage in gossip. We often want to avoid stressful exertion in favor of slacking off, so we come up with excuses for lazy behavior. Sadly said, we really do seem to delight in these guilty pleasures.

Moreover, I also think that the pleasure we find in our sins is one of the reasons why willpower alone rarely enables us to relinquish our sin. Sheer determination does not quite rid us of our trespasses. Granted, we try our muscular best to quell our transgressions, but our pleasurable temptations often entice us back to our sins. What is called for is something more than determined effort.

That is why I often turn to the biblical texts about John the Baptist and his giving witness to Jesus when I ponder how to address sin and overcome it (e.g., Mark 1:1-8). As we well know, when John came upon the scene, he was proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of our sins. Most of the time that we think of the act of repentance, we tend to conceptualize it in terms of contrition. That is, we feel sorrow for our sins. And, by all means, repentance most certainly involves such remorse.

However, I believe there is more to the matter of repentance. Most biblical scholars note that repentance also entails a change of mind and heart. It also requires a reorientation or redirection of how we think, feel and live — a change of the way that we approach and embrace life. Therefore, John goes on to propose something more to focus upon and engage. He not only speaks of One who is mightier but One who baptizes not just with water but with the Holy Spirit. John speaks of some One and some thing that is better, Jesus Christ and his offer of salvation.

That proposal by John the Baptist —to replace one thing for something better — reminds me of a venerable adage I once learned during a long-ago retreat. The retreat director taught that it was not enough for us to simply decide to set ourselves against our sins. We also had to set ourselves on something — to focus our attention on something more attractive to take its place. There is a need to replace the sin we like with something we like even better. We need to repent or redirect our minds and hearts toward something more lasting and ultimately satisfying.

One of the biblical texts that can be interpreted as conveying a similar point comes from a passage from the Second Letter of Peter (3:8-14). There, Peter begins his message by speaking of the things of this world — earthly realities. He considers the things that often occupy our attention and upon which we fixate our desires. Peter reminds us that these are not very durable. They will dissolve and dissipate like the world coming to an end.

And, if we are honest with ourselves, wouldn’t we have to admit that this is true of the guilty pleasures of our sins? We commit them, and we enjoy the momentary rush of delight. But, how truly temporary that is. How swiftly the pleasure fades away, and we become empty and hungry for more.

So, instead, Peter points us beyond the things of this fading world. He points us to the new heavens and the new earth — a world of lasting things, things of the spirit, things proclaimed and practiced by the mightier One who wants to pour his Spirit over us and into us. Peter offers special mention of the value of righteousness — a right relationship with the Lord — something that is not only lasting but everlasting. And, in the end, with the help of the Holy Spirit, we will come to realize that while we may like our sin, we will love our virtue.

I would like to suggest this dynamic is why the Sacrament of Reconciliation is not just about confession. Granted, there is something vital and necessary about naming our sin. It is critical that we confront it and claim our compliance with it. We need to accept our culpability. But there is something more needed here. There also needs to be something that must replace the void. We need to set our hearts on something more noble, holy and ultimately satisfying.

And that is why I would like to encourage that when dedicating time to prepare for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation this Lent, consider the following intercession: Invite the Spirit of the Mightier One to uncover the ersatz promises of sinful pleasures and reveal the splendor of the everlasting values. Pray to leave behind what you think you will like and replace it with the spiritual things that the Lord knows you will come to love.