Rake1I raked leaves for my grandmother today.  I had already raked them about two weeks ago, but those darn leaves just keep on falling!  Two weeks ago, in order to quickly finish the job, I just used the mower to blow the chopped leaves into the flower beds, bushes, etc., basically any place I felt could conceal the leaves.  Well, today grandma asked if I would go to her house and not only rake up the freshly fallen leaves, but also to clean out the bushes, flower beds, and other places where I had conveniently blown the old leaves.  So, I raked and raked and  both the new leaves and the old mess I had blown in there previously were properly disposed of.   A lesson for doing it right the first time!

As I was raking the leaf bits out of those hard to reach places where I had casually blown the leaves two weeks before, I reflected on the the Sacrament of Reconciliation and how wonderful and beneficial it is.  For so many years, I would non-chalantly sweep my sins, especially habitual ones, into areas where I thought they were well hidden.  It was easy to blow them there, but, of course they weren’t really hidden, just festering and cluttering my soul, especially as sin upon sin piled up.  Becoming Catholic forced me to confront my sinfulness, especially those hidden away.  In the Sacrament of Reconciliation, through confession and words of absolution, they are removed from their dark hiding place and forever and properly disposed of.

Image of rake from Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources.