We all wish we were perfect. We may try changing ourselves or everything around us in an attempt to reach or enjoy our varying ideals of perfection. It is important that we each realise our imperfections and learn to love ourselves truly with that love that wishes for the good of the person loved. The love that will lead us to make the right resolutions. In my opinion our most worthwhile resolutions are the ones we break but take up again. There is less of the unattractive pride in them because they have been broken. And there is a great deal of strength and understanding required to keep getting back up and trying again. In a way Catholic confession is a returning to the broad resolution: aim for perfection; hopefully with a more particular resolution each time so actual progress is made.
Some people may have a negative view of Catholic confession for various reasons but it is a beautiful method of dealing with our imperfect nature. We all make mistakes, do evil things more or less intentionally. There are various ways of dealing with it. We could pretend that we were never at fault, that everything is someone else’s fault. Archbishop Fulton Sheen believed this attitude was a root cause of many mental issues. Or we could sink into the dark hole of the knowledge that we have done bad things and start believing that we are worthless, horrible and unlovable beings. In confession we must acknowledge the bad things we have done and take responsibility but at the same time we are saying sorry, asking forgiveness. And, through the priest, God gives us that forgiveness and if God has forgiven us what other forgiveness do we need. And we leave the confessional lighter, able to walk tall again and start over.
Katherine Wansink Writes 