A Good Confession
"From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” (Mark 7:22)
"From within the man, from his heart, come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly. All these evils come from within and they defile.” (Mark 7:22)
After someone confesses their sins in confession, I sometimes ask them, “Is that you? Do those things you confessed make you happy? Do they make anyone else happy?” They always answer, “No.” Then I say, “Why do them?” Sin goes against us. It’s like wanting to go on a diet to lose weight, and we are eating all the wrong foods. It’s like painting over a crack in the foundation of our house, hoping it will go away.
Jesus talks about what defiles a person. Eating the wrong foods over a period of time can defile our bodies. Sins like “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy” defile us. We turn into the sins we commit. We think and feel sinful. We wouldn’t eat a rotten piece of meat or fish. It would make us sick. It defiles our bodies. Sin defiles our whole person, our hearts – who we are in our essence.
When I ask a child in confession, “Does that sin make you happy?” Their face says it all with a sad frown. But their heart is speaking, and they are now in the Presence of the Lord. Their frown becomes a smile when they know they are not a bad person but a good person. I have watched Jesus wash adults’ sins away through the tears rolling down their cheeks.
Praise God! “God saw everything that he had made. Indeed, it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). His goodness in us endures every sin we commit because His merciful love for us never fails.
Make a good confession and put your heart into it.
What difference can a good confession make in my relationship with Jesus and others?
Lord, I pray you make me just, pleasing to you in all I think, say and do. Amen.
Father Rick Pilger, I.C. was born in Canton, Illinois, the third of four children. He attended St. John’s Seminary in Wonersh, England, and was ordained in 1979. Fr. Rick is a member of the religious order, Institute of Charity, founded by Blessed Antonio Rosmini. He has served parishes in Galesburg, IL., Bradenton, FL., and now in Seminole, FL. as a Pastor of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. Father Rick’s greatest passion is sharing God’s good Word and celebrating the Sacraments with His people.
