The Sin That Does Not Lead To Death

 

With heating oil approaching $6/gallon in our area, I’ve been going back and forth with installing a wood stove, especially given there are decent tax credits for doing so and I’m always seeing free firewood from downed trees on Craigslist. Then again, I’d have to get my wife on board and she’s shown her cards with her recent offhanded comment when I brought it up: “I ain’t loading that thing.” Smh

Anyway, the thing about a wood stove is you have to be diligent about maintaining it. Emptying the ash pan, making sure you burn seasoned hardwoods, making sure your seals are in tact and dampers working, etc. and cleaning the chimney. 

That last one is a biggy. Creosote can build up in the chimney over time, and if you’re not careful it can start a chimney fire. Which can, of course, burn your house to the ground. Cleaning a chimney is kind of a pain the butt. But you gotta do it.

I was able to go to Confession yesterday before Mass, and though I have plenty to confess and go every two-four weeks, I’m basically going to the Lord for a “soot scrub” of the creosote which is venial sin. The more you let venial sin build up, the more susceptible you are to the flash chimney fire; I.e., falling into mortal sin.

Venial sin clogs the chimney of the soul with impurity and soot, but you still have a chimney. Mortal sin breaks our relationship with God and threatens to burn everything you care about to the ground. 

God can always rebuild your house, but why let things get to that point? Remaining in a state of grace does not mean we are unstained or perfected already, but it does mean that we are at least still in a state of friendship with God (even if that friendship is strained and weakened by venial sin). We should always strive to stay in this state. As Blessed Queen Blanche (mother of King St. Louis) told her son, “I would rather see you dead at my feet than commit a single mortal sin.”

Mortal sin can burn down the house, and a build up of venial sin can provide the fuel for combustion.  Performing regular Examinations of conscience combined with periodic confession of sins is good practice to prevent spiritual chimney fires. 

“All wrongdoing is sin, but there is a sin that does not lead to death.” 1 Jn 5:17