Quote and Reflection February 2010

February Quote and Reflection
2010

“In whatever condition we find ourselves, we can always open ourselves to conversion and receive forgiveness for our sins. On Calvary, by the supreme sacrifice of his life, the Messiah will seal for every man and woman the infinite gift of God’s pardon and mercy.”
Pope John Paul II
Words to Live By, The Word Among Us Press

The holy season of Lent is almost upon us, the season that begins with our examination of conscience, conviction of our sin, and repentance, return to the One who gave His life to save us, and who even now prepares a place for us in the Father’s House, so that when it is ready, He will come for us, that where He is, we may also be.

I want to reflect on the Sacrament of Penance this month. After Vatican II, going to Confession became somewhat passé, as we learned that in the early Church, many received the Sacrament only once in their life, often after they had apostatized to escape death in the arena for their faith. As the Church grew, she recognized in her wisdom, the great value of this sacrament in the lives of the faithful, the availability of grace, grace to truly change and to be strengthened in faith and in the capacity to faithfully follow Christ Jesus by living the Gospel.

Jesus constantly knocks on our door. He constantly invites us to deeper conversion. As we open our lives to Him, he reveals to us our great need for Him because He allows us to see that we are indeed lost without Him – why? - due to our sins. Sin is a sneaky thing. It is far more than actions. Sin comes from the state of our heart – self-centeredness, fears, hatreds, greed. When I look at these words, I begin to squirm because I can find every one of them within me. I know I need God’s mercy, and I know it is supremely available to me through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Not only is His mercy available, but He gifts me with His grace to become stronger to resist those temptations that will surely assail me in the days ahead.

Let us make a resolution this Lent to make a good confession, to receive the Sacrament and prepare our hearts for the supreme act of love the Lord bestows on each one of us from the Cross, and to walk victorious in the joy of His Resurrection.