The Divine Dentist

People might wonder why should we go to Confession if we know we are going to turn back to sin? We will only end up right where we started, with a dirty unclean heart.

Now let me ask you, why do we brush our teeth twice a day if they are going to get dirty again? This answer may seem a bit more obvious: because we don’t want to have stinky breath and we don’t want to get cavities. Why don’t we have the same attitude about our souls? When we sin we become dirty, our moods slowly sour and we fall into bigger and bigger sins until the people we know don’t want to be around us anymore. We don’t even want to be around us.

As we accumulate more sin, it becomes harder to turn back to God. Like plaque that builds up over time, our soul develops a cavity and it requires a more extensive procedure to fix it. This is why we should examine our conscience daily. Don’t let the plaque build up. We should also recognize that this is not enough, we need Confession. Sure, we can do daily cleaning ourselves, but we need that doctor’s checkup to clean out all of the hard to reach places we just can’t get to on our own. That is the beauty of the words “I absolve you from all of your sins.” We need God’s help to find healing, to be free from our sins. Make it a goal this lent to keep your soul clean. Our God is merciful, always ready to forgive, all we need to do is ask.