I need to go on a diet. Not the kind of a diet you may be thinking of, however 10-15 lbs wouldn’t hurt. No, I need to put my soul on a diet. There is a verse from the bible that really scares me. Luke 13:24 “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” I’m sure my physical body would be able to make it through, but that is not what this verse is referring to. There are things that we carry that could possibly keep us from getting through that door. Pride, anger, and lust are just a few of these. What scares me is that it is saying that ‘many will try, but few will succeed’ What that means is that many who are living good lives, those that are living lives that they feel will get them into heaven, will not get through. They are trying, seeking to enter, but many will not be able. So we all need to shed those things that can keep us from getting through the door. The “Seven deadly sins” are things that we definitely must strive to rid ourselves of. These are - wrath, greed, sloth, pride, lust, envy, and gluttony.
When we are overweight, our doctor advises that for our health we should lose a few lbs. In the same way, to keep our souls healthy we need to shed those things that harm it. Another verse from the bible that helps us recognize some of those things is Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the works of the flesh are obvious: fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy,[a] drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
It is hard in todays world to see many of these vices as sins because they have become so acceptable. But they are still sins nonetheless. Gods word (the bible) is the same today as it was hundreds of years ago. Many things have changed – technology, styles, music, but values and morals, our core being, shouldn’t change. God created us in His image and these values are a part of that image. Just because our present society teaches that many of these things are acceptable does not mean that they are. It is up to us as disciples of Christ to teach others the values that He taught us. Our baptism gives us that responsibility.
Once we recognize some of these traits in ourselves we can work to correct the way we live, but to cleanse/shed them we must go to confession to completely rid them of our souls. Confession is a beautiful sacrament that was instituted by Christ to free us of our sins, but it should not be misused. After confession, one must truly try to correct those things that brought them there to begin with. We are human, God knows this, and we will fail and fail again, and God in His infinite Mercy will forgive us again and again. But we cannot use confession like a bar of soap, knowing that we are going to get dirty and just plan on going to confession to get clean. We must honestly make an effort to not do those same things again. God knows in our hearts our true repentance and He is there to lift us should we fall again.
So, think about that door. Are you ready to go through? Are you ABLE to go through? If there is any doubt, take a look at the list God gave us and check off any that need a little work. Time to shed a little soul weight. Hope to see you on the other side!
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