Training

  Chapter 1

  “Father forgive me for I have sinned. When we last spoke, I told you of my transformation and how my innocence was lost. I have been on the side of good but I often found myself doing evil in an effort to help others. I must cleanse myself of these sins and evil ways of thinking. I am here once again to confess to more sins, father. I am hoping one day to find absolution. I need you to understand that I have a lot of sins on my plate. My sins vary and can be measured in severity according to what was happening in my life during the time that I committed them. I can't tell you everything that I have done in one sitting. I want to give voice to all of them slowly and truthfully, so please father allow me to tell you all of them in due time,” I said.

  Father MacArthur had been sitting in the confessional for more than an hour awaiting the words that had just been spoken. It had only been a week since he had heard that voice for the first time. He knew within the depths of his soul that she would return with more fantastical tales but the opening in which she began stunned him a little. Did she really believe that her sins were that vile? The first tale that she told him did have sins in it but they weren't her sins. They were the sins of the perpetrators who had harmed the little boy. What she believed to be her sins, the killing of two evil men, he had discounted because of the manner in which the men had died. In reality, he believed that she had witnessed the murders but hadn’t played a part in them. He felt that her only sin currently was telling him fantastical tales, which he could almost believe. He put aside his personal thoughts and tried to ease her mind with his next words.

  “My child I can hear the pain in your voice and the struggle you are going through. I am here as the Lord our father is here to give you peace. The confession of one's sins is a sacred act. Therefore, you must determine when and how you confess your sins. The Lord our father knows your heart, so you may choose to begin at the beginning or some other point in your life. It is important that you understand that the confession of a sin means you will endeavor not commit that sin again in the future because you understand it to be a sin. Do you understand what I am saying? The confessional is a place where you confess your real sins, not fabricated ones,” he said.

  "Yes, father. I'm aware of the purpose of the confessional and I wouldn't dare waste your time. I'm aware that you doubt what I have told you but I need you to understand something about me and my sins. When it comes to sins that I commit, I never know if I will commit them again because some of them are beyond my conscious mind to control but I shall try," I solemnly replied.

  Father MacArthur knew the struggle I was having, and listening to his words convinced me once again that coming to this church was the right choice. Even though he was skeptical about the story I told him the previous week, he still kept an open mind and waited to hear my confession.