“…confession is the salve placed upon the wounds of sin we inflict upon ourselves. Those wounds cease to fester within us, and so we receive the body and blood of our creator as an eternal remedy; medicine for our soul and body”
The salve of our spiritual wounds
When going to confession, if one is paying attention, there is a noticeable difference within oneself before and after. We feel different, lighter, more energized and reinvigorated on a spiritual level. The beneficial effects of confession are palpable, and reflected on that recently after my own most recent confession.
Many Orthodox do not understand the immeasurable benefit of regular confession, or maybe they do not understand exactly what confession does for their spiritual well being, and for the condition of the soul. If the Church is the hospital for the soul, confession is the salve placed upon the wounds of sin we inflict upon ourselves. Those wounds cease to fester within us, and so we receive the body and blood of our creator as an eternal remedy; medicine for our soul and body. It is with regular confession – keeping the wounds of sin sealed with the salve of our faith – and the regular participation in the Holy Mysteries that we slowly begin to heal and close those myriad wounds of sin we have afflicted upon ourselves. Yet, we being who we are continue to pick at the scabs of our iniquity and open those wounds once more. This is why regular participation in what the Church has provided us, in what Christ has provided us, is necessary for the health and well being of our souls.
The longer we go without confession our wounds begin to fester, becoming a source of all manner of spiritual maladies. They become avenues for intrusive thoughts, seeking to make greater the wound; they drive us into despondency and away from those things we know we ought to do; weakening our spiritual resolve, even pushing us away from confession and the sacraments so that we may never be healed of the very wounds causing us harm. We cease to pray, fasting becomes a second thought, and our cares and attention turn to the world for source of pleasure to distract us from the immeasurable spiritual pains we have inflicted upon ourselves.