At the end of “Lord of the Rings: Return of the King,” Gollum fights with Frodo for possession of the One Ring. He wins the fight, but in doing so topples over the edge of the mountain ledge, falling into the cavernous fires of Mount Doom. As he falls, we see him smile, and clutch the ring to his chest. He is happy. He has won what he spent his life pursuing.
 
It is only in the last millisecond before his face slips below the lava that we see his eyes widen in terror as he realizes the truth: the thing he clutches to his heart is the thing that killed him. In choosing the ring, he chooses death.  
 
Sin, and the fallen nature of this world, makes us addicted to something that kills us.
 
Like any addiction, it is a vicious cycle. The less we forgive, the more hardhearted we become … and the less we seek forgiveness ourselves.
 
What breaks the cycle? Reconciliation with God — or, Confession, as we call it. In fact, it does more than break the cycle. It turns it backward. Not only does it detoxify our souls of sin, it weakens our addiction to sin’s effects — anger, vengeance, unforgiveness. The confession of evil works is the first beginning of good works, said St. Augustine.
 
Ultimately, I view our whole human life as a struggle on the ledge of a mountaintop. It is certain that we will choose sin — we always do. We will tumble over the side, toward ruin. But let us be Frodo, and not Gollum. Let us cling to the rock of the sacraments and accept the hand that would drag us away from the flames.
 
“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight.” — Sirach 27:30