Potato Sins

Contributors	J. Boulos
Objective	The Sacrament of Confession removes the burden of sin from us.
Materials Needed	2 plastic shopping bags, a bunch of potatoes or oranges or apples or some sort of small weight to place in bags one by one (maybe 10 - 20 total)
Summary	This idea takes advantage of naturally weak shoulder muscles and how they quickly fatigue. Have a member of the audience take hold of a bag in each arm and extend their arms straight out at shoulder height. Have them sustain this position and ask them to do so even as you add weight to the empty bags. Describe how the sins that we carry around with us are weigh our souls down and cause it pain. Some people are concerned more with the number of sins committed or the severity of the sin--this should not be the only concern. What is the effect of sin on our spirit over time? At this point begin picking up the potato and naming them in front of the audience, holding them up and saying "lying," and then placing it in one of the bags held by the volunteer. Continue this, naming other "Potato Sins" like "cheating," "cursing," "lust," etc. and placing them one by one into the bags. Encourage the assistant to keep the bags up and continue with the lesson. Mention that Christ came and died for our sins, taking the sins of the world upon Him. Does this mean that any sins after His death in 33AD are not forgiven, or that we must receive baptism often to cleanse ourselves? Certainly not; the teaching of the church explains that Our Lord instituted the sacrament of confession as a means for us to gain absolution from our sins often. (do we lay our sins on the priest and he in turn upon the Holy Body during Liturgy? -- check on this). Through confession, the priest absolves us of our sins, lightening our load and giving us the strength to fight the good fight again. Have you ever felt lighter hearted and closer to God after confession? Have you ever felt that the longer you wait to confess, the harder it becomes to fight sin, as if your spiritual resistance has weaken, or your spiritual muscles have fatigued (draw attention back to the struggling volunteer if they lasted this long).
Additional Resources
Keywords	heavy sins, shoulder muscles, fatigue, confession
Date Submitted	11/02/2008