The priest extended his hand, saying, “I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” He smiled and as I left the confessional and said, “Go and sin no more.”

Sister, quick question. After confession, do you ever feel like a shiny, new car with great value, but then you drive off the lot and your value decreases? Not sinning is so hard! And today’s Second Reading makes it even harder, “You too must think of yourselves as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6: 11).

I would love to think of myself as dead to sin but sometimes sin and temptation are more palpable than receiving the Body of Christ at church. I do everything I can to resist gossiping, coveting what others have that I don’t, and viewing men as brothers in Christ versus desiring them. But I’m not always successful.

So, how do we become dead to sin?

Perhaps we begin by recognizing that Christ has done everything necessary to conquer sin and death. He’s paid for every sin we grapple with long before we seek absolution (1 Peter 2:24). He has sent His Spirit to live within us to aid us in moments of our moral frailty (Joel 2:28-29). And He will secure our union with Him in Heaven (Philippians 1:6).

As long as I live, I will labor to put sin to death. Although I see myself as a cheap, used car, in the eyes of God, I’m vintage. My value has not decreased, it has only increased. I’m a carefully repaired and invested in creation of the Creator.

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Dig deeper into what the Sacrament of Confession means and does.