For some reason, I thought that it was about time that I wrote about something I know well, SIN! Unfortunately, unlike most of things I know, I have not learned about sin from a book but by firsthand experience. Of course, I will not brag that I am an expert at sin, but it is fair to say that when the topic is sin, I can hold my own. It is for this and many other reasons that I am pleased that among the many gifts Jesus gave us is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this Sacrament we are set free from the yoke of sin, and we are given grace that helps us to avoid sin in the future. Even if the human condition is prone to sin the effectiveness of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, when approached with a contrite heart, is never diminished.

            Given this good news, I often wonder why there are not even longer lines to celebrate this life-giving Sacrament. The more I wonder about this the more I became convinced that the reason people stay away from confession is because we no longer have a good idea what sin is.

Often enough people will reflect on the ten commandments and conclude that since we have not killed anyone, or cheated on our spouse, or stolen something then we haven’t committed any sins.  When we examine our lives, we compare ourselves to the worst people we can think of and because we are nothing like them, we consider ourselves “not so bad” and have no need for reconciliation.

 For years many in the church have lamented that within our culture there is no more awareness of sin, that there is indeed no more sin. Under the banner of “do whatever you want so long as it doesn’t offend or hurt someone,” there are very few consequences and only a few things that rise to the level of being a sin. Even more concerning is that many of us refrain from examining our conscience. If we don’t reflect on what we have done, if we do not take stock of what we have done wrong, if we do not “know” sin then we haven’t done sin.

The first thing we need to do to counter this way of thinking is to understand what sin is. Sin is choosing to go against what is God’s will. Sin is assuming that we are entitled to do what we want without considering consequences or the needs of others. Sin is knowing between right and wrong and choosing to do what is wrong. Sin, venial sin, can interrupt our relationship with God, while mortal sin destroys this relationship. In its most simple iteration, sin is knowing what is good, what is right, what is holy, what makes us extraordinary, what is God’s plan for us, and choosing something else.

We do this because the “something else” is often easier to grasp or get. We choose sin because its reward is immediate, and we have little patience. We choose sin because it offers comfort and pleasure. We choose sin because, like ice cream in the freezer, it’s there and we are hungry. In making these choices we rarely consider the consequences of our sin, but once the choice is made, we often find ourselves with an unwanted case of buyers regret. We often realize that the choices we have made have not lived up to their promises and this can lead us to making more quick choices that leads us deeper into sin.

So, if sin is so easy, if sin and temptation offer us what we think we need/want then can we really avoid it? Of course, the answer is yes! The answer is yes because we can learn. We can learn that the promises of sin are never fulfilled while the promises of God are fulfilled in Jesus. We can learn that God’s plan for us, while not fully in our view, is better than comfort or pleasure. God’s plan for us is happiness, holiness, and eternal life. We can learn that making hard decisions is something we do with the grace of the Holy Spirit. We can learn from the saints who, human like us,  never let sin get in the way of their progress to holiness.

One of the quotes that I find myself using on a regular basis comes from Oscar Wilde. It is a quote that I, a sinner, find helpful in my pursuit of holiness, and reminds us all of the power of the cross of Christ. Wilde says, “…every saint has a past, every sinner a future.” While we may be inclined to sin,  to choose what is easy and comforting, to seek immediate gratification, we also are created in the image and likeness of God. This means that within each of us is a desire for holiness, for extraordinariness. So, with a healthy understanding of what sin is and what it does, with an awareness of the forgiveness of sins gained for us by Christ on the cross, with frequent participation in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and with the body and blood of Christ to strengthen and encourage us, we are able to see our future. Through a daily commitment to avoid evil and to choose good we point ourselves in the direction of our exalted destiny. Is it easy, of course not! Is it comfortable, not likely! Is it worth the effort, if and only if we desire to be happy, holy, and extraordinary now and forever!