Going To the Roots
Dear Friends in Christ, I pray that your Lenten journey is bearing great fruit!
When I wrote the blog, “Keep Moving Forward,” that particular phrase kept bumping into me over a very short span of time. I felt that the Holy Spirit wanted me to meditate on it and share it with you. This has happened again with the phrase, “Our Wounds Inform Our Sins.” In the span of three weeks, it has come up in five different random places and ones that I never visited in the past.
Recently, I was convalescing from an ailment and I started listening to the inspiring podcast, Abiding Together, hosted by Sister Miriam James Heidland, Michelle Benzinger, and Heather Khym. In the S09 E07: “An Invitation to God’s Mercy” Part 2, Sister Miriam quoted Bob Schuchts, ‘Behind every disordered desire is a good and holy desire, an unmet need, unconfessed pattern of sin, and a wound.’ She talked about the fact that nothing comes out of nowhere. When you sin, something is going on. We need to allow Jesus to come into these very tender places so that we can be truly healed.
The Holy Spirit really had my attention. I had never heard this before and I was transformed. It is frustrating to go to Confession with repeat sins. Just as it is important to find the root cause of physical illnesses instead of merely treating symptoms, it is critical to reflect on the root cause of our sins. You will often be able to trace the wound back to your childhood, teen years, or adult years. It is only when we travel back in time and reveal the roots that true healing can begin. Otherwise, we are will most likely to continue the same pattern of wrongdoing.
For instance, let’s imagine a woman named Rachel who tends to be critical, put others down, and boast about herself. With soul searching and the help of the Holy Spirit, she can trace these sins back to wounds when she was a child. It just so happened that her father was overly critical of her and she never received praise from her parents. This is where the Sacrament of Confession is an imperative restorative remedy for our souls. During the same podcast, Fr. Josh Johnson talked about a book that he recently wrote with Fr. Mike Schmitz called the Pocket Guide to Reconciliation. A very helpful tool for making a good and meaningful Confession.
Dear Friends in Christ, this week let’s take a few moments and invite our merciful Lord to the very hidden and tender places of our souls. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate our sins and guide us back to the wounds that are the root of that particular sin. Then, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we can humbly implore the Divine Physician to heal us. When we trust in Jesus we know that He will cover us with His mercy, provide grace to assist us in avoiding future misdeeds, and share with us the tremendous joy of being free from sin. Once we heal our roots, our “fruit” will be more plentiful and pleasing to the Lord and those He asks us to serve.
From St. Faustina’s Diary: “Today the Lord said to me, ‘Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself entirely in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I Myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of Mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrent of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.” (1602, page 568)
God bless you with His overflowing mercy. My prayers are with you!
Below are links for an inspiring FREE online women’s conference and a powerful prayer for every day and anytime you feel off-center from Christ.
Hi Bonnie! Thanks for sharing your beautiful gift.
I heard/learned about this topic several years back and, though it is not often taught, it is a grace and help to discover it. Knowing your root sin, the sin we are most prone to commit, is both a lesson in self knowledge & the first step to progress. Not always easy to identify but so helpful when you do! Appreciate your efforts!
Hi Amy! Thank you for your sweet note. I truly appreciate it. All praise to the Holy Spirit!:) Yes, it so important to realize that the wounds from our past “inform” our sins. Though it can be very painful, it will always bear tremendous fruit when we ask the Holy Spirit to uncover these tender areas. Praise to our loving and merciful Lord! God bless you dearly, Amy!