Reflection by Fr. John

The Spirit comes with the tenderness of a true friend and protector to save, to heal, to teach, to counsel, to strengthen, to console. Holy Spirit guide me and enlighten me to live a good life. Amen.
-adapted from Cyril of Jerusalem, 360 AD
 
Confession is also known and described as the Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation in the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC), Article 4. The confession (or disclosure) of sins, even from a simply human point of view, frees us and facilitates our reconciliation with others. Through such an admission a [person] looks squarely at the sins he is guilty of, takes responsibility for them, and thereby opens himself again to God and to the communion of the Church in order to make a new future possible. CCC 1455.

Jesus uses simple aspects of our humanity to bring us more deeply into His life. In the Eucharist, the Lord Jesus knew that we needed sustenance, we needed to be nourished by His very Self in order to have life. He gave us the Sacrament of the Eucharist knowing that as we would consume Him into our very being, we would have Communion with Him as we become more like Him in His divinity, we are made whole in our humanity. In The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation, the Lord uses His conversation with us in order to heal us and make us whole. Kenneth Haugk reminds us that talking is healing. Talking helps you locate your pain, bring it to the surface and let it go (Finding Hope in Healing, 2004). The Lord wants us to let go of our sins and to wipe them away and remember them no more (Jeremiah, 31:34). He gives us grace from the Sacrament to heal us, strengthen us and encourage us to continue the Journey.

The process of conversion and repentance was described by Jesus in the parable of the prodigal son, the center of which is the merciful father. the fascination of illusory freedom, the abandonment of the father's house; the extreme misery in which the son finds himself after squandering his fortune; his deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed swine, and still worse, at wanting to feed on the husks the pigs ate; his reflection on all he has lost; his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father; the journey back; the father's generous welcome; the father's joy - all these are characteristic of the process of conversion. The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet are symbols of that new life - pure worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God and to the bosom of his family, which is the Church. Only the heart of Christ who knows the depths of his Father's love could reveal to us the abyss of His mercy in so simple and beautiful a way (CCC).

The Sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation has as its origins in the ministry of Jesus. In the synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus is presented as the One sent from God to proclaim the message of the Kingdom and to urge the people to repent and believe in the Gospel, the Word of God, Klein and Wolfe, Pastoral Foundations of the Sacraments: A Catholic Perspective, 1998). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) links reconciliation to Jesus’ first appearance to the disciples after the resurrection. Jesus greets his disciples with Peace, shows His wounds given to Him by Humanity, then gives them the power to forgive sins. Jesus wants us all to have peace by following Him.

With forgiveness of sin and our reconciliation back to God, God opens the pathway of deeper conversion and calling. Pope Francis tells us that at the age of 17, he received his calling to be a priest in the Confessional. On 21 September 1954, he recalls, “I got thrown from a horse…. I went to confession…and there — and without sitting at the tax desk like the saint of that day [Matthew] — the Lord was waiting for me -- miserando et eligendo” (shown mercy and called). The Pope embraced the Sacrament of Penance as he solidified his vocation in the Confessional as a young person, as Christ called to him. This Sacrament has a special place in his heart and soul. He also believes that all of us can and will benefit from this healing Sacrament. He partakes of the Sacrament often and encourages us to do the same. When he announced the Year of Mercy in 2015, he gave this reason: “Let us place the Sacrament of Reconciliation at the center once more in such a way that it will enable people to touch the grandeur of God’s mercy with their own hands” The Catholic Sun, “Reborn: The Sacrament of Reconciliation, “ 2015.