“When we go to Confession we are not telling God something He doesn’t already know and we’re not showing Him something He doesn’t already see. We are giving Him something He doesn’t already have: Your broken heart.”
– Father Mike Schmitz
Dear Reader,
In this article, I’m not going to be approaching this subject from an apologietics point of view, but rather I will attempt to put into words, my inner thoughts and feelings about this AMAZING encounter with God… The Sacrament of Reconciliation which, as I stated in Part I of my “A Humble Approach…” series, what I believe to be one of, if not the, most humbling activities on the face of the Earth…
Below, in bold blue italic lettering, are what I believe to be the most powerful words we have on the earth today to combat evil. They are the words of Jesus, spoken through the priest said within the most humbling Sacrament of Reconciliation… I think the best way for me to tell you about this most AWESOME gift from God is to take you through these words below, line by line, and tell you what they mean to me…
“God the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself, and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”
“God the Father of mercies…“ When I hear these words, it reminds me that we have a merciful God. God IS mercy! He IS love! There are no amount of sins that we can possibly commit which He cannot forgive! However… We MUST ASK for that forgiveness AND be ready and willing to forgive others who sin against us… Just as God does for us. If you’re unsure as to what I’m referring to here, check out the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant (found in Matthew 18:21-35).
To briefly summarize, this is the story of a servant who is called before a King because he owed the King quite a bit of money. The servant begged for forgiveness because he had no way to repay his debt. The king forgives him out of compassion for the servant. Soon after, the servant finds a fellow servant who owes him far less money. But… Instead of showing his fellow man mercy as was shown to him by the king, he begins to choke the man and threw him in prison, despite hearing the man’s pleas for mercy. When the king heard of this, he called the original servant “wicked” because he did not show his fellow servant mercy as he had been shown by the king. Because of this, the king had him handed over to be tortured until he could pay back his debt… Another piece of scriptural evidence that I like for affirming this call to mercy is Luke 6:36-37 – “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. Stop judging and you will not be judged. Stop condemning and you will not be condemned. Forgive and you will be forgiven.”
“…through the death and resurrection of his Son, has reconciled the world to himself…” What does it mean to be reconciled? According to the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, it means “to restore to friendship or harmony”. So, through the death AND resurrection of Jesus, God has made it possible for all of humanity, as His created beings, to come back into harmony, friendship and oneness with Him. Jesus continues His act of redemption in His body, The Church, through the sacraments.
“And all this is from God who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” – 2 Corinthians 5:18-19
You see… Since Adam and Eve ate of the fruit in the Garden of Eden, we have been separated from God by our sin, including both original sin and sins that we ourselves have committed. In that brief moment after receiving absolution (it is inevitable that we will sin again and separate ourselves from God again) and especially if we receive The Eucharist during this time, it’s as if we are taken back into The Garden of Eden in the relationship we were created for with Our Lord! I would like to add, as a disclaimer, that the heart, mind and soul must be “all in” during this sacrament. Just going through the motions does not count!!
“So many people see the confessional as a place of defeat, but confession is a place of victory every single time.” – Father Mike Schmitz
“…and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace…” As the extension of Jesus Christ through time, space and history, The Catholic Church begun by The Apostles contains within it, the ministry of reconciliation. Jesus gave His Apostles and thus, His Church (The Catholic Church) in acting as His extension on earth, the power to forgive sins.
“[Jesus] said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.'” – John 20:21-23
“…and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, Amen.” I believe that for me to hear these words is the MOST profound moment of truth I’ve ever experienced in my life and it gets better every time. It’s a very humbling moment. I can’t tell you how many times I have shed a tear or two of happiness and joy after experiencing the grace and power of this sacrament.
We are physical creatures made by God. He knows that we speak to each other and Him through our bodies. That is why He gave us this sacrament, so that we could speak directly to Jesus in the confessional and so He could speak back to us in a way that we can understand, through the words of the priest, the words of absolution that I discussed above… He knows that we need to hear His voice and so He comes down and meets us in this sacrament. Through the ministry of His Church, started by His Apostles, He grants us continual forgiveness as well as healing peace so that we can get back on our feet and continue to try and live the life He wants for us as carriers of His gospel. The best part is that He does this for us even though we haven’t and can’t do ANYTHING to deserve or earn it!
“Confession isn’t a place where I acknowledge sin has beat me, but that I’m letting Jesus win.” – Father Mike Schmitz
You see, one of the BEST parts about this sacrament is that once we’re filled with His healing grace, we’re better able to forgive others and to spread His gospel and mission of mercy with others in the world.
I encourage everyone to think about this sacrament and what it means. If you’re not Catholic or have fallen away from His Church and have questions about how you can encounter Jesus in this wonderful way, contact me and I’ll be happy to talk to you more about it. If you’re Catholic, then I strongly urge and encourage you to visit Jesus in this Sacrament more often than you’re going now.
“Confession is an act of honesty and courage – an act of entrusting ourselves, beyond sin, to the mercy of a loving and forgiving God.” – St. John Paul II
There’s an opening line to one of my favorite songs about The Eucharist and I want to close this entry with it since I believe it could definitely apply to The Sacrament of Reconciliation… “If everything that the Roman Catholic Church taught were true… What difference would it make in our lives?”
Until next time dear reader!
Your Humble Servant in Christ,
William
William's Catholic Journey 