In our church, we are taught that the sacrament of penance
is ‘a sacrament instituted by Christ in which forgiveness of sins committed
after baptism is granted”.
Three things are required of a penitent in order to receive
the sacrament worthily:
- He
must be contrite—or, in other words, sorry for his sins.
- He
must confess those sins fully, in kind and in number.
- He
must be willing to do penance and make amends for his sins.
Lent is a particular time for reflecting on our sins, and to
be willing to come to the Lord to confess them, and to make amends. It is also the time we look deep within
ourselves, question ourselves, and a time we are called to make peace with our
fellow man. And just as the above three
things are required to make peace with God, we are also called to follow the
same formula for achieving peace with each other – including being ready to
listen and make reparation for our errors.
For what applies with our Heavenly Father also applies to each other: ‘Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive
others who trespass against us’. It is,
therefore, only through us forgiving others that our Father will forgive
us. If we hold grudges and refuse to
forgive others, we will be held accountable;
‘For as you judge, so shall you be judged’.
This Lent, our family completed a Lenten Study by Ann
Voskamp,
‘Trail to the Tree’.
As
always, Ann writes with simplicity, and in a style that is so gentle, yet so
powerful.
So much of what she has
written has resonated with all of us, and as we followed the trail to the tree,
we realised that while it is true that out of death comes life, that
forgiveness and reconciliation is always possible, no matter what.
It is at these times that I am so thankful for the sacrament
of reconciliation. We have the
opportunity, right now, to go to our priest and ask God for forgiveness. This Lent, I have spent some wonderful
moments with our local priest, both in discussion and in confession. I know with confidence that God sees all, and offers us
all forgiveness, if we are truly contrite and ready to turn our lives around to
live as He asks us to. To have such a
wonderful sacrament available is truly a blessing.
This Easter, let us all work on reconciliation; with God of
course, but firstly, with each other.
For if we cannot live side by side in this world, what makes us think we
can do so in the next? This Easter, let
us try to live as Christ commanded, ‘To love one another’. The world is so fractured, and there is so,
so much suffering and pain. Let us try,
at least, to bring the body of Christ – His family - together, and to walk with
each other for the Glory of God.
Have a wonderful, blessed Easter, and may peace be with you.
Linda.
