I’ve learned that the Lord has given us a wonderful gift in the Sacrament of Penance.
In order for humans to drive change into their life, it helps to acknowledge - out loud - what is wrong and how we can change it. This is what I find useful.
I have also learned that sometimes it is helpful, when you really want to change something and can’t seem to break a habit, to dig deeper into the attitudes that fuel it and confess those.
I told Father recently of the many “Winds of Doctrine” I had been following, such as these:
The “Everyone else is doing it” Doctrine
The “All the good that I’ve done will outweigh the bad” Doctrine
…and the like. I had a list I had made after feeling that God had gotten fed-up with me.
That first one belongs under a sin category called “Conformity” but I don’t know that it exists. I wonder if conformity fits under any of the 7 mortal sins.
By rooting out the attitude, it helped me to stop the very thing I couldn’t stop.
Then I told Father that God wanted me to tell him “why” I did what I had and with that looked him right into the eyes and said, “I did it for no other reason than I wanted to, even though I knew the church teaching said otherwise.”
I shocked myself, but it felt good after I choked it out and it did something to me.
Yeah, there is no better medicine in God’s cabinet than a dose of “telling on” yourself.
The best part is, it can’t leave the box.
Congrats :clapping:
