Lately, I've noticed a lot of suffering in my little corner of the world. Winter seems to be a "time to die" and many I know have lost loved ones this month. Others struggle with relationships with family members. Spouses forget the strength of their sacrament and when God is not the center of their relationship, the marriage suffers discord, some ending in divorce. Parents argue with children who question the faith of their parents. Children who are faithful to the Church lament their parents' lack of faith. Cabin fever sets in, and even the most loving families start bickering and snapping at seemingly insignificant "injustices."
In my hypocritical little mind, I start thinking, "Why doesn't he just...." and "If only she would....they would be so much better off." All the while, I'm snapping at my own family and complaining and whining about "stuff and nonsense."
What's a Christian to do? Listen to our Lord! We must remove the log in our own eye before we can help our brother notice the speck in his eye. And identifying that speck must not be a self-righteous act. That speck should only be noted in love and preferably at the request of our brother.
My youngest is preparing for First Confession, and our Catholic Heritage Curricula lesson plans recommend that the parents read sections of Fr. Leo J. Trese's The Faith Explained in preparation for instructing the children. This little book has deeply enhanced my understanding of the sacraments. The chapter on confession gives the formula for confession, but also goes into detail about the results of a good confession. Of particular note is the following passage regarding "our reluctance to confess an ignoble deed":
The priest is not sitting self-righteously on the other side of the screen, ready to cluck his tongue at our misdeeds. He is human, too. He has to go to confession, too. Instead of despising us for what we have to tell, he admires the humility with which we have overcome our embarrassment. The bigger the sin, the happier is the priest in the knowledge or our repentance. If the priest should happen to know who the penitent is, his regard for the person will not decrease; on the contrary, his regard will be the greater because of the trust and confidence which the penitent has shown his confessor. (459)At our baptism, we are called to be "priest, prophet, and king." We, as non-ordained Catholics are not called to administer the Sacrament of Penance; however, we can remember the disposition of the priest Fr. Trese describes and share in it. We do not sit in judgment over our brothers and sisters--that's God's job! Our job is to pray for our brothers and sisters to find God in their lives and in one another. We should despise sins, but we should love the sinner, especially when they seek forgiveness.
As for the log in our own eye, the easiest way to remove it is through regular confession. Performing a daily examination of conscience, not to dwell on our sins in a scrupulous manner but to recognize them and ask the Lord's forgiveness, will make us mindful of our faults so we can work harder to avoid them in the future. Confessing those faults and failings to a priest through the Sacrament of Confession cleanses us of our sinfulness and gives us the grace we need to live a Christian life. Finally, when we recognize that our sinfulness has injured another, we ought to seek the forgiveness of that individual.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for the gift of my family. Thank you for the gift of my friends whom I love as family. Thank you for the gift of your Holy Church. Thank you especially for your Mercy and Love, shown so substantially in the Sacraments of Confession and Communion. Thank you for the Gifts of Your Holy Spirit, particularly for the Wisdom to recognize the log in my own eye and to not worry so much about those moments when people don't do what I think they should do. I pray for them to do Your Holy Will, which is far better than anything I could ever hope for them.
Amen.
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