By Alyssa Bormes
Photo of crocus in Public Domain via Pixabay.
“I am the LORD, there is no other.” (Isaiah 45:5)
Sometimes frustration, or sin, or hopelessness, or despair, or presumption seems to lord over me. Or maybe I think I am my own lord. Today in prayer, I realized (again) how comfortable I am with sin. I can go on about my daily life, even while mired in sin. Wow! That’s icky!
As we near the end of Lent, our souls can grow weary. The stores are telling us it’s already Easter after all, and we can lose sight of the fact that there is still time left in the desert.
On top of this, sin can confuse us even more, and we get a little lost in the desert. Sometimes we are so lost—in that our Lent wasn’t what we had hoped—that it seems we can never return; this is despair. Sometimes we are so lost—in that we can feel like it’s all pointless anyway—that being lost looks like a paradise where we are our own god; this is presumption. No matter, we are in a false desert.
The reality is that the desert of Lent is a time of aridity, but it is not a time to be lost in sin. Instead, it is a time to see sin for what it really is—a burden, and one that we should not desire to carry. Because when we insist on carrying our own sins, we are too focused on our baggage, and we cannot be present to Jesus. The desert is difficult enough; don’t haul around extra baggage!
Jesus will carry our sins, along with the Cross. And He will do this through the Sacrament of Confession.
When I get to this point, the point of recognizing the sin that is hanging around and looming over me, the confession schedule from around the Twin Cities starts running through my head. There is confession tomorrow morning at 6:15 a.m. here. There is 7 a.m. confession there. There are options in the afternoons and evenings and over the weekend.
I tell myself to go to confession, and I’m spiritually inviting you to come with me.
As we anticipate Easter in just 11 days, let’s do a good examine, and then let’s unload that sin, that extra baggage, that temptation to be our own god. There is great comfort in being the creature instead of the creator.
In confession, let’s say it all! We need to get at the dark corners, and clean behind the fridge, if you know what I mean. When praying our penance, let’s be attentive. And then, let’s really get after that firm purpose of amendment.
Lastly, let’s pray for each other! While one of us is in confession, the other can pray while waiting. I’ll pray for you; will you pray for me?
Remember, “I am Lord, there is no other.” Repeat it a few times; pray it. And then just let it be so.
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