CMO 51: My Sins Have Roots?

Hello Journal, 

Please note, whenever I open with the phrase, “Hello Journal,” I am really addressing the reader of these entries. Since I do not know if you are a friend, family member, or stranger, it’s easier to say, “Hello Journal.” 

Let me begin by thanking the Holy Trinity for a productive and blessed day. 

I watched an Ascension video on YouTube recently. The video featured Fr. Josh Johnson. It was part of an Advent series. The title of the video is, “What is the root of your sin? Third week of Advent w/Fr. Josh Johnson.” 

The video description says this, “You enter the confessional, and you tell the priests your sins—where you've made mistakes since your last confession. But do you know where those sins came from? What the root cause is? Today, Fr. Josh Johnson helps us identify the lies that we believe about God—and how to speak truth into them by staying close to Him in prayer.” 

In this video, Fr. Josh mentions the lie that many of us believe—that God isn’t enough. He mentions sloth as one of the root causes of our sinfulness. He says that God speaks to us when we need to hear Him. 

That was my experience in 2017. 

The root of the sin is believing the lie. The same lie(s) I mentioned to Gary in our Thursday afternoon conversation on Facebook Messenger. Forgive me, I did not meant to imply that I had told a lie to Gary. We were discussing lies in general. 

Also in his video, Fr. Josh mentioned surface level confessions. We mention what is on top, but we don’t get deep down into the nitty gritty—the root of the sin. How many of my confessions have been surface level confessions? When examining my conscience, I need to go deeper. Don’t just pull up the weed. Make certain you pull the roots as well otherwise the weeds will return. 

Isn’t that true with sin? 

I was moved by this comment from a responder named specguenzma who wrote: “Very well said, Father. You have described my struggle perfectly. As I reflect upon my habitual sins, I realize that I am spiritually lazy, and this keeps me from truly growing in a relationship with Our Lord. Help me O Lord to keep Thee first in all of my thoughts, words, and actions.” 

How many times have I been spiritually lazy where my habitual sins are concerned? Most likely more times than I care to confess but confess I must. 

I have much to contemplate and reflect upon. However, by the grace of God I will get where I need to be for two (2) reasons: 1) God Wills me to be there. 2) I desire God’s Will which means I want to be there too. 

God Bless, much love, always in God’s friendship.