If you are a reader of this column, you know that the Archdiocese has launched a program called Light4you (www.Light4You.info), whereby every church in the Archdiocese will be open for confessions on the Mondays of Lent from 6:00 to 7:00 PM. Given the importance of this initiative and its potential for revitalizing the church in the Archdiocese, I will be devoting the next several columns to the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation. But before speaking of the Sacrament, I would like to discuss the reason for the sacrament. I would like to speak about sin.
Most simply stated, sin is rebellion against God. Although it can occur in a variety of ways, sin is that moment when we worship ourselves rather than God. It is that moment when we assert our will again God’s will. It is that moment when we choose to glorify ourselves rather than to glorify God. At that moment we say, “I know better. My way is better than God’s way. My will is more important to me than God’s will for me.”
Catholic theology identifies two kinds of sin: moral and venial sin. Mortal sin is that moment when we rupture our relationship with God in a serious way. At such a moment (1) we do something seriously wrong, (2) we know that it is seriously wrong, (3) nevertheless we freely consent to do it because we choose our will over God’s will. For example, the person who knowingly and willing exploits another for financial or social gain is committing mortal sin. Or the person who knowingly and willingly commits adultery is committing mortal sin. Those who commit such sin have fallen from the state of grace. They have willingly broken their covenant relationship with God. They are in a state of mortal sin rather than in a state of grace, by which I mean, God’s favor.
Venial sin refers to a matter that is not so serious as to break our covenant relationship with God, but it does weaken our relationship with God. Venial sin is an indication of our need to grow in the grace of God. For example, when we are impatient or angry with others without cause, we sin venially. When we treat others in a rude or selfish way, we commit venial sin. When we are envious or speak ill of each other, we commit venial sin. Such daily sin shows that our conversion to Christ is not yet complete.
Many people have lost all sense of sin today because they have lost their sense of the sacred. Unaware of God’s presence in their lives, they are unaware of sin in their lives. For it is only when we stand in the light of God that we see who we truly are. In the light of the all-holy God, even the greatest saints understood their sinfulness and need for God’s grace.
Christ has redeemed us from sin. By his saving death and life-giving resurrection he has made it possible for us to live in a way whereby we are no longer dominated by the power of sin. But the sad reality is that even though we have committed ourselves to Christ, there are moments when we sin, if not mortally, then venially.
This is why Lent is so important.
This is why we need the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation.