Part 1 Chapter 7
"Venial Sin-Its Ugliness"
(Before beginning this post, I want to tell you that the "clock" recording the times of my postings is inaccurate. There is no way that anyone who knows me would believe that I posted this morning at 5-anything AM.)
It was very helpful that Monsignor reiterated toward the end of this chapter that he was writing about committing venial sins intentionally. Still, I must admit that too many times I have put off going to confession a day or two because they were "only venial sins" I had committed. Perhaps it is the mindset of rule-breaking that leads to such a way of thinking. "Oh, this sin is the equivalent of driving 5 miles over the speed limit."
The examples Monsignor provided of the thorn or the act of spitting in a father's face need to remain in the forefront of my mind to counter such thinking. These are hard truths, indeed.
Thank you, Lord for the gift of a Lenten season to turn my ear toward the call to conversion.
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Additional notes:
Monsignor referenced "Pergmayr" in this chapter. I believe that is Joseph Pergmayr, who wrote "The Truths of Salvation" in the late nineteenth century.
One questions that I have is the following: when one is used to do something bad, it is easy to escalate to the next level of badness, in the same way, once one is awakened to the need of avoiding a venial sin, and confesses, more venial sins appear to the surface and the need to further cleanse the soul appears. In that regard, it is good to have access to confession regularly and in increasing doses, wouldn's it be detrimental then to start this cleansing if the confessions are not available so readily, because it would cause one to walk one step ahead, only to get disheartened, and walk two steps back?
ReplyDeleteI read in your comment a genuine desire to be right with God. This is a wonderful thing, and would be justified by reason of God's existence alone; but because God is a loving Father, it is also a desire we can pursue with a child's confidence.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure what you mean when you write: "once one is awakened to the need of avoiding a venial sin, and confesses, more venial sins appear to the surface". I presume that you mean that with the additional graces of the Sacrament of Confession, we are better able to see other sins of charity that we commit. If that is the case, then Praise God! Only the Evil One tempts us to become disheartened along the road to holiness. Our guardian angel and the "great cloud of witnesses" in heaven are cheering us on with encouragement. We may rest in the truth and be at peace while we pursue holiness--trust in Him. It is for this that He gave His life.