2nd
Sunday of Advent
Cycle C
December 6, 2015 10
am and 12 noon
Saint Margaret Parish, Bel Air
The Sacrament of Reconciliation
When I
was a child, my parents used to take my brother and me to confession about
every two weeks.
Now, I
imagine some of you are thinking: he probably needed it! Well, maybe I did, but in those days, a lot
of people did this.
Today,
the great majority of us don’t come to this Sacrament with that frequency. So, this morning, I want to reflect with you
on one question.
How
often are we as Catholics to go to the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Or, maybe it would be appropriate to ask: Do
we ever need to go to confession?
Why Verbal Confession
Before
I try to answer this, I want to say a word on why confession is part of our
Catholic tradition.
Why do
we have this practice of verbally confessing our sins to a priest and verbally
receiving absolution? I think the answer
comes down to this.
We are
relational and social persons. Whenever
we do something wrong, like children back-talking their parents, it has an
effect on others.
And
whenever we fail to do something good, like not properly caring for our aging
parents, it has an effect on others. So,
verbally confessing our sins and saying “I am sorry” expresses our relational
and social nature.
On the
flip side, hearing another person say words of forgiveness responds to our
relational and social nature. In Reconciliation,
the other person is a priest who in this sacrament represents Christ.
That
makes this experience all the more powerful.
I think our tradition of Reconciliation only makes sense if we first
understand this.
How Often?
Okay, let’s get to
the question.
How often are we
to go to Reconciliation? Or, do we ever
really have to go to confession?
Let’s think about
it this way. Church law says that we are
to go to Mass every Sunday – every Sunday.
The Mass is the
highest priority. Church law also says
that we are to come to the Sacrament of Reconciliation if we have committed
serious sin.
So there is a big
difference here. We are bound to come to
confession only if we have been unfaithful to God or to our calling in life in
some very significant way.
Now, the Church also
encourages us to come to this Sacrament more regularly. The thinking is that we are all human and we
all sin in some way.
And so, this Sacrament
can be helpful in our spiritual growth. It
can help us to stay on track and follow the way of the Lord more fully.
But notice: the
Church encourages but does not require us to come to the Sacrament regularly
for spiritual growth. It is meant to be an
opportunity – a good opportunity, not a burden.
The Reality
I know from my
experience that some of you find this Sacrament very enriching.
You use it
regularly for your spiritual well-being.
I also know that some Catholics find this to be a challenging Sacrament.
They do not use it
regularly or see it as a necessary way for their spiritual growth. But they are living good lives and being good
Catholics.
Conclusion
With that, I want
to make two recommendations.
First, please
review your own thoughts and feelings about this Sacrament. Just review this in light of what I have said
today.
And second, maybe
in the morning or in the evening, do a review of the past day. Take a look at your day and see if there is
any way that you did not follow the way of the Lord.
I suggest that we
pick out just one thing, maybe it will consistently be the same thing. And then
pray what we call an Act of Contrition – a prayer for forgiveness and resolve.
I have placed a
card with this prayer at the end of each row of seats. I invite you to pass them down so that every
one has a copy.
Using this will be
a way to express your need for forgiveness and for spiritual growth. It will be a way to respond to John the
Baptist’s call for repentance in today’s gospel.
