Reconciliation and Divine Mercy

Deacon Lex Ferrauiola

The sacrament of Reconciliation is an extension of God’s love and mercy: it is a gift that we especially remember and celebrate each year on Divine Mercy Sunday.

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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 as a 6^th grader walking home from Confession on Saturday afternoons, and fearlessly crossing the Grand Concourse while traffic buzzed 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 like 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 extension of God’s love and Divine Mercy into my soul; and it is a call to share that love and mercy throughout every corner of my life. 

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 let us 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 frequently 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 Divine Mercy to flow through us and out into every corner of our world. 

With love, Deacon Lex

deaconlex@nullgmail.com

Lex Ferrauiola is a husband, father, grandfather and a Catholic deacon serving as a pastoral minister and hospital chaplain within the Archdiocese of Newark, New Jersey. His newest book, All Shall Be Well: Finding God Among the Pots and the Pans is available now.