Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Over the years, I have been blessed in my priestly ministry to do many wonderful things. Some very unique experiences, such as being able to distribute Communion in St. Peter’s Square, are once in a lifetime. Others are more repeatable, such as celebrating First Holy Communion in the beginning in May with our second graders. My ministry is beautiful in so many ways and I get great satisfaction from it. But the one experience that is often the most rewarding is hearing confessions.
Now, before you get the wrong idea and accuse me of being a busybody and a gossip, when I talk about the rewarding nature of hearing confessions, it has nothing to do with knowing anyone’s particular sins. Sins are boring, and from the priest’s perspective, they tend to be repetitive from one penitent to the next, and from one confession to another. I don’t mean to minimize the seriousness of certain sins and the need to be able to confess them; I know the struggle and the necessary courage to be able to give voice to those things we’re afraid or ashamed to bring up about ourselves. But have no doubt that neither nor any other priest is keeping a running tally of how many sins you confess or what they are beyond that moment of grace in confession.
The rewarding nature of confession from my perspective comes not from the naming of sins, but in the moments thereafter. After having the courage to lay bare the things that are weighing an individual down, there is the opportunity to lift those sins from them and to give them comfort and healing from what they’ve been dealing with. It doesn’t matter if it’s a white lie or a deeply serious sin, in that interaction, there is a person in need of healing and mercy, and how blessed am I to be graced to give that to them! Some people are really carrying a lot and the chance to take that from them, to bestow God’s grace and forgiveness so abundantly, man, there’s not much that’s better in my life as a priest.
We all approach the Sacrament of Penance differently, based on past experience and how we’ve been taught when we were younger. But if you could know the joy there is on the part of God and the priest to free someone from sin, to reconcile them with the Divine Love, whether it’s been a week or decades since the last confession, you’d likely be more open to going. God wants to lift those sins from you!
And so, I want to extend the invitation to join us, Monday night, March 16 th at 7PM for our Lenten Penance Service. Please consider coming to experience God’s mercy through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Be freed from your sins, so that you might experience the fullness of God’s love and prepare your heart for the coming joy of the Easter celebration!
Peace and Goodness,
Fr. Dan
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