Old Self New Self
You know that feeling you get when you aren’t sure how to spell a word and when you write it out you know it still isn’t right? You just keep looking at it, almost willing it to unscramble itself, but it cannot be fixed on its own. So, you turn to Siri or Google to find out the correct spelling or you type it into a document or even into a message on your phone. You need the help of ‘spell check’ before it can be fixed, and you can continue on.
It is too bad there isn’t a ‘spell check’ in life. A place you could go or a thing you could do to help you learn the right way to do things. Something to erase the negative behavior and help you to change it the next time. Actually, I think there is, and in the Catholic Church, it is called the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
When I get myself scrambled up in bad behaviors or make decisions that cause pain, it is difficult for me to fix it without the help of God. It can be hard to look at myself in the mirror when I’ve hurt someone, said things I regret, or acted in a way that was out of character. And it can be especially hard to face the person whom I hurt. I can’t do it on my own.
Hiding from the sin or trying to hide the sin will not fix anything either, I must face it. Now Reconciliation will only correct the behavior one time, like ‘spell check’ will only correct it that one time in the text or document. Each time I misspell the word, I must turn to spell check to correct it, and this is the same with Reconciliation. Just like how I will continue to misspell that word if I don’t go through the motions of learning how to spell it correctly the first time. I continue to confess that sin until I learn how to act without falling into temptation to sin.
Once I decide to learn how to spell that word once and for all, it can take a few times before I am able to spell the word correctly successfully and repeatedly with confidence. The same goes for sin; I must face the sin, confront it, and let it go before I can begin to change. Reconciliation is not a one-time magic wand that makes the sin disappear, so it doesn't take long before I start to carry the load of sin again, and I have to go back to Reconciliation to take off my old self and put on my new self.
The encounter with God’s grace in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is what cleanses me, reminding me of when I was baptized, washing away my sins. Going to Reconciliation is my commitment to learning how to change the old behavior or learning how to spell the word correctly. I’m thankful for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and glad it’s there for me when I just can’t unscramble the messes I make in my life!
