Reconciliation in the Year of Mercy

Sometimes God has a way of aligning things in our lives so perfectly and poignantly.

I've thought of this when eighth-graders in our parish have received the sacrament of Confirmation on Pentecost -- and in our individual lives, when birthdays, Baptisms, weddings or other events happen at just the right time, often without the aid of our own plans.

This year God's timing seems perfect for our second-graders, who will soon meet Jesus in the sacrament of Reconciliation for the first time during this year's Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. What a perfect time to experience God's mercy in the confessional, for the first time, or the thousandth.

"Reconciliation is the heart of the Gospel," Archbishop Jose Gomez of Los Angeles wrote back in 2007, when he was archbishop of San Antonio. "It is the meaning and purpose of Christ’s work, the work He continues today through the ministry of His Church. 'God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ,' St. Paul tells us (2 Cor. 5:9)."

Here are some other excerpts from the archbishop's message:

"I can testify from my own life to the healing power of this sacrament received regularly. I invite you too, my brothers and sisters, to experience this for yourselves. Regular celebration of this sacrament will help you form your conscience; it will give you strength in your daily fight against sin; and it will help you to gain the full freedom that is yours as children of God.

"I especially appeal to parents: take your children regularly to confession; as they confess their own sins, let them also see you going to confession. This will have a tremendous impact on their formation as young Christian men and women, and it will yield many blessings of generosity and understanding in your family life."

"The sacrament is a remedy for what ails us. And what ails every one is sin. Our hearts hunger for His forgiveness, for the peace that comes with knowing that we have been pardoned and reconciled to God, for the assurance that we have been given a clean slate and a fresh start. This peace and assurance can only be granted to us through our encounter with the Lord in the sacrament.

"We need personal confession to keep us honest about ourselves. As our Lord showed us, often we are not the best judges of our own character. We find it much easier to judge and find fault in others than to take stock of our own failings before God (Luke 6:37, 41– 42). Often our pride gets in the way, rendering us prone to make excuses or to justify ourselves before God (Luke 18:9–14).
Only in the confessional are we 'exposed to the eyes of Him to Whom we must render an account' (Heb. 4:13). In the confessional, He looks upon us with love, calling us to an ever-deepening discipleship: 'You are lacking in one thing. . . . Come, follow me' (Mark 10:17–22).'

"What you will discover is that surprise of grace that St. Ambrose of Milan described so well in meditating on the parable of the prodigal son: 'See, the Father comes out to meet you . . . and give you a kiss, the pledge of love and tenderness. . . . You are afraid of hearing words filled with anger, and He prepares a banquet for you.' "

May you find God's grace, healing and forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Let nothing keep us from God's mercy!

Inspired by the Year of Faith, Susan Szalewski began writing weekly columns for us. Although that year is over, we liked them so well that we asked her to keep writing. Thankfully, she said yes. So watch for these on Thursdays and see the Year of Faith Blog here.