The loft groans with forgotten trinkets, wardrobes bulge with clothes we haven’t worn in ages, and the garden shed harbours rusting tools and mystery boxes.
Eventually, something snaps. We resolve to have a proper clear-out.
We sort, we scrub, and we start to breathe again.
What doesn’t belong, we bag up and donate to the parish tabletop sale.
What was once hidden and dusty is now revealed and repurposed.
Something old is given a new chance - or binned to make room for something better.
There’s a reason this process feels so good.
It mirrors, in a small way, the spiritual clearing-out we’re called to as Christians. And no sacrament brings that truth into sharper focus than the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
“Come now, let us reason
together…” (Isaiah 1:18)
We often associate reconciliation with Lent, a time of repentance and preparation. But the call to be reconciled with God is not seasonal. It's constant. We are never so holy that we no longer need the confessional. The dust and clutter of sin quietly accumulate in our souls just as surely as it does in our cupboards.
Sin, like clutter, creeps in slowly. One small compromise. One excuse. One half-truth. “It’s not that bad,” we tell ourselves. “Everyone does it.” We move things around in the conscience rather than remove them. Before long, we have rooms of the soul we’d rather keep locked up and unexamined.
But the Lord calls to us gently:
“Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18, RSV-CE).
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not a punishment; it is an invitation.It's the loving hand of a Father saying, “Let’s sort this out together. Let me help you clean house.”
What’s Bought and What’s Given
At the parish tabletop sale, people wander in with bags and boxes of odds and ends. Some items are sentimental. Others are regarded as junk. A few turn out to be surprisingly valuable. But none of them are serving their owners anymore.
As customers exchange money for these forgotten items, something deeper comes into view: a spiritual parallel with our redemption.
Just as people purchase these items,
giving them new value and purpose, so too Jesus purchased us with His
own life. He didn’t just take our spiritual junk - He paid the
price for it with His sacrifice on the cross.
The tabletop sale may raise funds for the parish, but the Cross paid the eternal cost of our salvation.
We bring our sin, our baggage, our brokenness - and Jesus doesn’t haggle. He pays in full. As St. Paul writes:
“You are not your own; you were bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
In confession, we don’t offer God anything of great worth. But He takes what we bring - all the mess, the regret, the clutter of sin - and in exchange, gives us freedom, grace, and new life.
The Courage to Sort Through the Mess
Admitting our sins isn’t easy. We might prefer to leave everything under the tarpaulin of denial. But reconciliation demands honesty - not brutal self-loathing, but courageous self-awareness.
Imagine sorting items for a tabletop sale. You have to hold each item up and ask: *Do I need this? Do I use it? Does it bring life or weigh me down?*
Confession is similar. We bring our sins into the light. We name them. We don’t try to hide the broken parts. We don’t sugar-coat. We simply say the truth. Why? Because only what is exposed can be healed.
“If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves… If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive us…” (1 John 1:8–9, RSV-CE)
This is the beauty of the sacrament. It is not a place of shame but of liberation. Not a courtroom, but a surgery. The priest acts *in persona Christi*, and through him, the Divine Physician treats our wounds with the balm of mercy.
From Junk to Joy
Many of us who volunteer at tabletop sales have seen someone’s face light up when they find a hidden treasure - a tea set that reminds them of their grandmother, a vintage book, or a coat just in time for winter.
So it is in confession.
The soul, once burdened with guilt and shame, rediscovers its
“Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17, RSV-CE)
This transformation isn’t symbolic - it’s sacramental. Grace is poured into our soul. The chains of sin are broken. We are sent forth, renewed.
Preparing for Confession: Spiritual Sorting
Just as you don’t arrive at a tabletop sale with unsorted bags of who-knows-what, it’s wise to prepare for confession thoughtfully.
Here are a few ways to do your spiritual sorting:
1. Pray beforehand. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your examination of conscience.
2. Be honest. God already knows. He wants your truth, not your polish.
3. Focus on the root. Identify not just what you did, but why.
4. Let go. Parting is hard, but freedom follows.
An old item must go to make space for something better. In the confessional, that “something better” is grace.
Regular Reconciliation: A Spiritual Routine
Just as clutter returns if we don’t keep tidying, sin creeps back when we grow complacent. That’s why the Church recommends frequent confession - not out of guilt, but out of love.
“The regular confession of our venial sins helps us form our conscience, fight against evil tendencies, let ourselves be healed by Christ…” (CCC 1458)
Monthly confession is a worthy goal. Even every couple of months can change the rhythm of your spiritual life.
New Life After the Clear-Out
After a good clear-out at home, space opens up. We rediscover old joys. We breathe again. We invite others in.
So too with confession.
Freed from the burden of sin, the soul becomes hospitable to grace. Prayer becomes sweeter. Charity comes more naturally. We live lighter.
“Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10,RSV-CE)
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Too often, we wait for Lent or Advent to clean house spiritually. But mercy isn’t seasonal. If your soul feels cluttered, if your conscience feels heavy - go. Don’t delay the joy.
You don’t need to tidy up first. Jesus already knows what’s there. He’s waiting to meet you in the mess...
... He’s already paid the price.
So go. Step into the confessional. Lay it all down. And when you’re done, go home, put the kettle on, and maybe even sort through that wardrobe. Someone might be blessed by what you no longer need.
A time for cleansing in your home and in your heart.
Our Lady Of Lourdes Chuch In New Milton will be holding it's next tabletop sale on 18th May 11.30am. We are hoping to have tables in the gardens as well, weather permitting. Click here for more information