Turn Your Faults And Sinful Tendencies Into 'three-legged Stools'

If one looks into the recesses of their own soul, they will in most cases find a mixture of light and shadow. Some events to be proud of and some, well, maybe not so much. As we look even deeper, we find that some of these shadow events, we will call them sin, are reoccurring and even at times follow a pattern. 

This exercise is much like an examination of conscience one would use for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, and yet with this we are taking a look at an extended timeline to see, not just single events, but patterns in our behavior. Take here a brief moment to look at the sinful times in your life (it may be easier to start with the last week, and then the last month, and so on to see if there is a pattern). 

Do not feel down, depressed or unworthy once you begin to see clearly these tendencies. Do not get drawn into that trap, for it will keep you from your prize. What might these shadowy behaviors be? 

Well, they could be the inclination to skip Holy Mass here and there when we know that we are to attend at least every Sunday (and should we not attend even more when we know our Jesus is there waiting for us?). Maybe our sins revolve around negative talk at work (gossip); berating one’s spouse or children (either to their face or behind their back); not showing honor to one’s parents; sins of lust or of a sexual nature; sins of want such as power, greed or envy; the sin of pride (I am better than everyone else, including God, and therefore I can do what I want, when I want); or maybe I have difficulty being charitable to others, loving to others, speaking kindly to others; maybe I am not thankful to God for my many blessings or maybe I hate myself . . .

This list can go on for pages and can even include personal talents and attributes that you would normally think of as positive qualities but that are simply being applied in the wrong way.

Once you have taken the time to prayerfully discern these shadowy tendencies in your life, turn them into three-legged stools. If you do not have enough “legs” to create even one stool, then God bless you, for you are well on your way. You will create a stool with only two legs or maybe even one. See how difficult it is to sit on this stool with less than three legs? Be strengthened by this, for a stool without at least three legs will not stand for long.

For those of us with three or more sinful tendencies, create your stools, three legs per stool, each leg representing one sinful tendency. For example, one stool may have three legs labeled grief, gossip, envy…and so on. 

Once you have your stools created, set them in the corner. They are somewhat ugly aren’t they? Many of them are rough with splinters and jagged edges and some of them even call to us in the quiet to come and rest upon them.

Now, pick a stool of your choice. Go to the corner, take hold of it and bring it to the middle of the room. Look at the words upon the legs of the stool and commit them to memory. Now chop each leg from the stool; sand it, polish it, stain it, carve it and write the virtue upon it opposite of the sin that held its place before. If the previous sin was gossip, the corresponding virtue might be silence, silent prayer or holy speech. If the sin is pride, then humility. If the sin is lust, then chastity. If it is fear, then bravery. You get the point. These are the virtues you will practice until you have wiped these sins from your life, replacing them with Godly virtues! Once you are finished with the first stool, rest upon it. Then, take up your holy axe and grab hold of the next stool.

This year, my dear brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ, we are all going to take lessons in spiritual carpentry. I can hear it now, the sounds of the creation, destruction and recreation of thousands upon thousands of three-legged stools.

We will strengthen one another through prayer in this endeavor. Every Friday, when each of us receives the Message in the mail, we will say the following prayer as we continue to walk this pilgrim journey together.

“I pray, O God,

for those who sit,

upon their stools of splinter and thorn.

Until such time,

as they see fit

from their lives these sins be torn.”