The sacrament of Reconciliation is an interaction of love – God’s
love and our love.
*
When
I was a young Catholic-school boy back in the Bronx, receiving the sacrament of
Reconciliation, or ‘going to confession’ as we used to call it, brought me
great comfort and peace. I can remember being a 6th
grader walking home from Confession on Saturday afternoons and fearlessly
crossing the Grand Concourse, with cars buzzing by. I knew that I was in the
state of grace and that if anything happened to me, I was going straight to
heaven.
But
as I matured in my Catholic faith, I came to understand that the confessional
box wasn’t a carwash, and that the grace of the sacrament
of Reconciliation wasn’t like a swipe of OxiClean making my soul spotless.
Rather, the sacrament of Reconciliation is an interaction of love – God’s love
and our love.
The
sacrament of Reconciliation calls us to open our hearts with humility to God’s forgiveness
and love; to let that love in, and allow it to flow through us and back out
into the world. In so doing, it calls us to let go of any anger and bitterness
we may be carrying; and to forgive any people we may have shut out of our
lives.
And as we ask for
God’s forgiveness, let us make amends where possible and also forgive ourselves
for any things we’ve done or failed to do that may have caused hurt and pain to
others. As we approach the sacrament of Reconciliation let us place any guilt
we’ve been carrying into the loving hands of God and trust that we are truly
forgiven.
The sacrament of
Reconciliation is a gift that Jesus gave us. It
brings about healing and wholeness in our souls; it reconciles our relationship
with God; and it opens the door to reconcile our relationships with others.
May
we each receive this wonderful sacrament at peace in the knowledge that we are
truly forgiven and deeply loved by God. And may we
joyfully allow that forgiveness and love to flow through us and into every
corner of our world.
The
sacrament of Reconciliation is an interaction of love – God’s love and our
love.
………………………………………………………………………………..
Readers of this blog might enjoy these
books by Deacon Lex. Both are available on Amazon.com:
Just to Follow My Friend:
Experiencing God’s Presence in Everyday Life
The Gospel of You, The Gospel
of Me: Making Christ Present in Everyday Life
Synchronicity as the Work of
the Holy Spirit: Jungian Insights for Spiritual Direction and Pastoral Ministry
http://www.amazon.com/Synchronicity-Work-Holy-Spirit-Spiritual/dp/1463518781/
