St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

Sin is, at heart, rebellion against God. Since God created us to live in communion with Him, in Whom we find happiness, sin always involves seeking happiness in some other place than in communion with God.

 

There are three of these places, three idols we can worship. They correspond to Jesus' three temptations. JRR Tolkien, in his classic Trilogy, "The Lord of the Rings", paints a vivid portrait of what happens to worshipers of these idols.

 

The first idol is pleasure. This is the first temptation: "command this stone to become bread". The world's comforts and pleasures are good, God made them. But they can't satisfy the heart. When we turn them into life's goal, we become like Gollum, Tolkien's slimy, murderous villain who only cares about satisfying his fleshly desires.

 

The second idol is power: "I shall give to you all this power and glory." When this becomes our idol, we follow in Saruman's footsteps. Saruman was a good wizard who at first desired the ring of power so he could govern the world better. But that thirst for power enslaved him. It enslaves us too, if we look for happiness in having control over things and people.

 

The third idol is popularity. This corresponds to the temptation to impress the crowds by jumping off the Temple. When we worship this idol, we become like Shelob, the gigantic spider who spins webs to trap and devour others. Our thirst for popularity turns us into monsters, spinning webs of intrigue and lies, destroying other people to climb the social ladder.

 

We have all three tendencies, which are at the root of our sins. But for each of us, one tendency is strongest. That is "root" sin; it's behind most of our selfish, sinful actions. Which one of the three is most influential in your life? It's important to discover our root sin. Each of us should know where we are most vulnerable to temptation. Otherwise the devil can blindside us. One of the most effective ways to advance on the path of this self-knowledge is by going to confession regularly.

 

Frequent, regular confession forces us to take stock of our sins and failings, to look honestly at all the manifestations of our selfishness, not just the big ones. Together with the guidance of the confessor, this self-examination gradually allows you to get at the roots of what is holding you back. Pope John Paul II used to go to confession every week. Pope Benedict XVI did as well. St Theresa of Calcutta used to go weekly as well.

 

It's like a good football coach. The Monday after every game, he sits down with the other coaches and the team and they watch the films from the game. They analyze where they were vulnerable, where they were strong. They are then able to make adjustments, to improve, to become the best they can be. Confession every 4 to 6 weeks is like that. The only difference is that the stakes are much higher, and the coach of our spiritual lives can fix our past mistakes as well as give us strength to avoid future ones.

 

Do we really want to grow in our Christian lives, to become better followers of Jesus Christ, better witnesses of His Kingdom, wiser parents, more courageous professionals, more loving spouses and friends? To do so, we must discover our root sin, and constantly hack away at it. And there's no better way to do that than by making the commitment to come regularly to confession.