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.
http://www.deaconlex.blogspot.com
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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
http://www.amazon.com/Just-Follow-My-Friend-Experiencing/dp/1456360728
The Gospel of You, The Gospel of Me: Making Christ Present in Everyday Life
http://www.amazon.com/Gospel-You-Me-Present-Everyday/dp/1517176077/
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/