House M.D. is a popular TV medical series about Dr. Gregory House that is now on its sixth season. Dr. House is a highly-talented and intellectual character who heads the Diagnostic Department of Princeton-Plainsboro Teaching Hospital that solves the most trivial and mysterious illnesses a lot of average doctors could have easily misdiagnosed. They work and solve cases in a “race against time” to give curative solutions to life-threatening illnesses. This is mainly the reason why even his anti-social, abrasive, addictive and unethical and atheistic personality is minimally protested by his own diagnostic team and even by the hospital administration.
In order for Dr. House’ team to solve their medical mysteries, they often engage themselves in what they called “differential diagnostics” where all the possibilities are discussed and debated upon to hopefully narrow down the choices for them to initiate calculated treatment. Between all the highfalutin medical terms and jargon, the basic components of their differential diagnostics boils down to two – symptoms and cause. As Dr. House would often assert that, “the symptoms will never lie and the cause can never be denied.”
Holy Week is just around the corner.
Unfortunately, a lot of us maybe still approaching this holy season with a spiritual affliction weighing us down. Some are still hooked on pornography and lustful thoughts. Some may still be hot-tempered. Some may still have a lot of anger and hatred brewing inside them against people they perceive to be evil-personified. Some still see themselves as spiritually-cut above the rest leading them to self-righteousness. Some are deeply attached to worldly fame, power and wealth. Some finds lying a norm and stealing subjective.
Fortunately for us Catholics, there is an equally efficient “differential diagnostics” for our spiritual afflictions to know the symptoms and causes and in order for us to approach the most loving way to repent and mend our ways. The Catholic Church in instituting the sacrament of Reconciliation has provided us with the most basic steps to self-spiritual diagnosis and fulfillment of receipt of God’s mercy and forgiveness.
(Recommended reading is 1422-1498 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church for full understanding of the sacrament of Reconciliation; or copy-paste this link into your browser – http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/
1. Examination of Conscience.
Our church has always given us guidelines like the Ten Commandments, Gospel readings and apostolic preachings as helpful guides towards attaining a good self-examination.
This step, when performed in utmost sincerity, can lead to fully knowing the symptoms and causes of our sinfulness. If you feel helpless at home and at work or a seething anger from sunrise until sundown, or even a simple uneasiness inside you during most of the day, then you know that something is amiss. If you can see and feel a sense of animosity or indifference from other people towards you, then it may likely be that you have done something wrong against them. Which begs you to ask this question intimately to yourself – What have I done wrong? What good have I not done? to those people around me and to myself? Most often than not, the honest replies to our own questions lies the righteous answers.
Be aware so we can repent.
2. Be Sorry for our Sins.
I once read before about one theologian asking this thought-provoking question – “Would Adolf Hitler have gone to heaven had he repented before his death?” To which his superior replied, “God’s mercy is limitless and His love is endless that no sin can supplant. If (and that is a big “if”) Hitler is able to become truly sorry for what he has done, then he will be forgiven and he can go to heaven.”
Jesus was still hanging on the cross when he forgave the thief and promised his place in heaven after his death. That thief has lived a wayward and criminal life all-throughout but was forgiven at the last minute because that last minute was the minute he was truly sorry for his sins and seek God’s forgiveness.
Be truly sorry and be open to forgiveness.
3. Act of Contrition
This is closely related to being sorry for the sins because this involves the firm resolution to not commit the same sin again. Efforts must be made to ensure that the trappings of the temptations of the same sins will not easily over-run our resolve to live a righteous life.
On the other hand, not everybody believes that getting up from their stumbling blocks, even if it means several times, is also acceptable. Excluding willful recidivism, sinners who acknowledge their weakness and dependence on God understands that holiness is the part of the journey of forgiveness and not the end-all be-all. When we make the commitment to resolve not to sin, we also entrust ourselves to His mercy and not to our own capability alone. The former inspires us to recover many times. The latter opens a trap for hopelessness. Our faith stagnates. This defeats the merciful purpose of God. Let us stand strong against temptations but weak in front of God’s call to repentance.
Be weak in order to be strong.
4. Confession
The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission man looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible. (CCC 1455)
Be heard through God’s shepherds.
5. Perform our Penance
Many sins wrong our neighbor. One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries). Simple justice requires as much. But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor. Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.62 Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin: he must “make satisfaction for” or “expiate” his sins. This satisfaction is also called “penance.” (CCC 1459)
Be good because God is good.
This Lenten season, let us all be spiritually healed to be spiritually blessed and refreshed.
Always remember that our spiritual health is our heavenly wealth.
God bless.
- 1 John 1: 8-10
- If we say, "We are without sin," we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we acknowledge our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from every wrongdoing. If we say, "We have not sinned," we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
- March 14, 2010
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