…that I was unable to receive the sacrament since confessions are heard before mass at St. Leo’s (where I normally go for confession)
I guess that is both a good and a bad thing. It’s a shame that a couple of us couldn’t receive but it’s a healthy parish that has lines for Confession and absolution.
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Wouldn’t the longer lines at confession concern you? I’m more than certain that these aren’t first offenders and are most likely repeat offenders. Wouldn’t having confession and the ability to clear your soul of sin take away any consequence of a person’s actions?
Is it really that hard to not commit a sin? Is there more to it besides following the ten commandments, no killing, no coveting, no stealing, honor your parents, don’t do your neighbor, don’t lie, etc. and the lust, gluttony, greed, laziness, wrath, envy, and pride stuff?
In the real world people are ticketed, fined, or serve jail time as a deterrent to not break laws. How then is confession and forgiveness a deterrent to not commit multiple sins?
Since all men sin why would the long lines worry me?
Liberals tend to make the mistake that we expect perfection. It doesn’t work that way and Christians understand this. Sin is usually very easy, very relaxing and we are helped along that road by the nature of the world and the opposition.
It’s when we deny the nature of sin that we tend to get into trouble.
To try to answer DaHospitalityGuy’s question:
First, a lot of the deterrent is the public (or at least non-private) confession of sin: rather than just begging God for forgiveness, you are required to look at someone and say that you willfully screwed up. That’s tough.
As for not sinning: as my blog-friend Neil sometimes says, he once tried to make a spreadsheet of his sins, but then his hard drive crashed. Sinning is not just in actions (e.g. don’t kill), but also in thoughts (e.g. coveting) and emotions (e.g. wrath). Few of us can get through the day without being pissed off at someone, without being even a twinge jealous, etc.
As for killing: some 40% of women will abort in their lives, and, in most situations, their boyfriends and their families push them into doing it. In the Catholic Church, that’s a sin… so I’m really unsure of how you get to “not hard to not sin” when almost half of the population will commit one of the most heinous crimes imaginable.
Final thought: you aren’t forgiven if you are in a state of continual sin. So you can’t commit adultery, ask for forgiveness, and then go back to sleeping with your wife’s best friend right after Mass.
(DTG: please correct any theological errors.)
It would just seem to me to take a step back and make the moral choices everyday between what’s right and what’s wrong.
Beleive me there are more than enough things about the world that I disagree with. Things definately haven’t gone my way in the last two years. But that still hasn’t caused me to speak bad about others or do things which are wrong. And I could speak badly about lots of people, and who whould deserve it too. But I don’t. And I correct others who do.
I’m still out there supporting my friends, doing things for them, and putting their needs before my own. I ask for nothing in return. Except occassionally for maybe some change of luck.
Yet others can sin constantly and be forgiven.
I dunno, I kinda like my way better.