What matters most?
Confession, priorities, and being the man my family needs me to be
A few weeks ago, on a Saturday evening, I went to Confession for the first time in 198 days.
I began my Confession as one does, “Forgive me Father, for I have sinned. It has been 198 days since my last Confession.”
The priest chuckled in a not-so-subtle manner and said, “Well that’s a very specific number.”
It brought levity to my shame and set the grounds for the best Confession I’ve had to date.
For those who don’t know, Confessions can often be matter of fact, in that there is a defined order that both parties follow and specific moments where the priest will speak. This one was different; the Priest treated it more like a conversation, chiming in throughout with questions and thoughts of his own. I appreciated the Priest’s tact, he clearly understood I was a sheep looking for his shepherd and he responded in kind
He asked me questions about my marriage and my love for my wife; he asked me questions about the man I wanted (and needed) to be for my wife and daughter; he asked me what my priorities in life were and if I was living up to them. To put it simply, he challenged me.
The priest gave me my penance, and after the Confession ended, I made sure to thank him and tell him that his words were helpful and what I needed to hear.
Being a good and just follower of Jesus Christ is the most important part of my life — without it, I am a less good husband, father, son, brother, grandson, cousin, friend, and employee.
Every part of my life suffers if I put the world before Christ. Every part of my life flourishes when I put Christ before the world.
When my family looks at me, I want them to see a man with clear priorities and I want them to see that those priorities make me better, for their sake and for my own.
Marcus Aurelius once said, “Waste no time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” That was the underlying message the priest was trying to get across to me. I’ve recognised my faults and shortcomings, now it is up to me to be.
I’ll end by posing this question to you, dear reader: What matters most in your life, and are you living your life in such a way that your priorities are abundantly clear to the people you care most about?
Godspeed,
Andrew
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I’m so proud of you, brother!