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WALSH-CONFESSION Jul-21-2009 (410 words) xxxn
Sacrament of penance 'like an oil change for the soul,' bishop says
By Carmen Blanco
Catholic News Service
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Impurities in a car engine, clutter behind the couch, weeds taking over a garden -- all are metaphors for sins used by Bishop Daniel F. Walsh of Santa Rosa, Calif., in a letter to Catholics he wrote for the diocese's quarterly newsletter, North Coast Catholic.
"Every so often we have to weed our gardens," Bishop Walsh said in the letter. "If we don't, the weeds will take over and the garden disappears." The sacrament of penance, he said, "is like periodically checking the garden of our souls for weeds that hamper our discipleship."
There has been a decline in participation in the sacrament since the Second Vatican Council but whatever the reasons for its decline, Bishop Walsh said, "I think in our permissive society we have lost the sense of sin."
The objective of his letter was to encourage and invite everyone to return to going to confession regularly.
Comparing souls to cars, the bishop indicated the importance of maintenance.
Every so often, drivers service their vehicles with an oil change to prevent a buildup in the engine. "There may not be any major problem with our engine," said the bishop. "But slowly, over time, minor impurities have been building up. If we leave those impurities unattended, they will eventually result in major and costly problems for our car."
The church says mortal sins and repeated venial sins that go unrepented damage a relationship with God, and it is through reconciliation that sinners rid their soul of these impurities and restore and renew their relationship with God.
Pope Benedict XVI's 2008 homily at the Nationals baseball stadium in Washington called for conversion and the forgiveness of sins during the Easter season. In the homily, which the bishop referred to in his letter, the pope reminded those present that "the church was born of the Spirit's gift of repentance and faith in the risen Lord."
The pope noted "the liberating power of this sacrament, in which our honest confession of sin is met by God's merciful words of pardon and peace, needs to be rediscovered and re-appropriated by every Catholic."
Likewise, Bishop Walsh, in his letter, called for priests and laypeople to overcome their discomfort and participate in the sacrament even if they haven't been to confession in a long time or have forgotten how to go.
"When we have unburdened our hearts, we will hear him (Jesus) speak again," Bishop Walsh said.
END
Copyright (c) 2009 Catholic News Service/USCCB. All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed.
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