“God has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18).
Last week, 78 of our parishioners received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time. On Wednesday of this week, everyone in the parish is encouraged to attend our Lenten Penance Service, which begins at 7:00pm; several priests will be available to hear your confession. During this Season of Lent, when we are all invited to recognize our sinfulness that put Jesus on the cross, we are also encouraged by Jesus’ clear teaching of forgiveness of our sins. Allow me to offer some reflections on the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church provides us with some very clear teaching on this sacrament:
Through the sacraments of Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ. Now we carry this life “in earthen vessels,” and it remains “hidden with Christ in God.” We are still in our “earthly tent,” subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin
The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the Sick.
Those who approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example, and by prayer labors for their conversion (§ 1420 – 1422)
If we are honest with ourselves, we all admit that we are sinners. By our actions and our failures to act, we have hurt God, others and ourselves. God’s response to our sinfulness, as the Catechism of the Catholic Church states so beautifully, is found in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. As we rejoiced that some of our parishioners recently received this powerful sign of God’s mercy for the first time, let us join in celebrating this Sacrament in preparation for Easter. Come join us on Wednesday as we hold our annual Lenten Penance Service, starting at 7:00pm, or come to church to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation on every Saturday (except Holy Saturday) from 4:00 until 4:45pm. Let us all be sure to be reconciled with our God and our community as we prepare for Holy Week so that we can be ready to celebrate the new life our risen Lord offers us in the Resurrection!