Advent Reconciliation Service
Prepare for Advent by celebrating the reconciling love and the healing graces our Lord offers us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
Our parish penance service is on Wednesday, December 11 at 7:00pm in the church.
Preparing
Reconciliation is what God does. We prepare for it by opening ourselves up, by reflecting upon the areas of darkness in our lives into which God so deeply desires to shine a light. It might begin with the simple question: Where might God be offering me forgiveness and healing?
If my answer is, “I don’t know,” then I have some reflection to do. I can examine my life – what I have done and what I have failed to do – and see what graces are offered me there. If I’ve come through that “era” of saying that any guilt, anything that makes me feel bad about myself, is a bad thing, to be avoided at all costs, then I might have a difficult time coming to genuine sorrow for my sins. If this is the case, I need to “go to work” on my reflection, asking God to rouse a sense of embarrassment, leading to deep sorrow, for any way I may not have been faithful, honest, loving, self-less or generous – in my relationship with God, with my family, with others. I can look at each of my responsibilities – as a citizen of a city and a country and the world, a neighbor, an employee, a member of a parish or congregation, as a parent or a spouse or as a son or daughter. God will always shine light into these important parts of our lives, to help us experience remorse and a genuine desire for forgiveness and healing. The point here is not ultimately to focus on ourselves. God always reveals us to ourselves, so that God might reveal to us our need for a Savior. The focus is on God’s reconciling, healing love. As John says, “God showed his love for us when he sent his only Son into the world to give us life. Real love isn’t our love for God, but God’s love for us. God sent his Son to be the sacrifice by which our sins are forgiven.”1 John 4:9-10
Celebrating Reconciliation
Reconciliation is what God does. Receiving it and celebrating it is what we do. For those of us who are Catholics, the Sacrament of Reconciliation is a most natural way to celebrate God’s reconciliation. We used to think of this sacrament as only about “confession” – that it was like a dumping ground for our sins, where we got forgiven, and we had to “pay a toll.” One of the great recoveries in our Christian history is to re-discover the meaning of this sacrament.
It is God who forgives sins. And God forgives us the very moment that we come to the experience that we need forgiveness (which itself comes through God’s grace). At that moment, we feel sorrow and a desire for forgiveness and healing. In that moment, we am reconciled with God. The reunion, the bond, the connection, the joy are all there. Three more things remain: to receive it deep within our heart, to celebrate it, and to participate in the healing process.
When we experience God’s forgiveness and love, we are invited to savor it and let it touch us deeply. Experiencing compassion, patience, understanding, and forgiveness is itself transforming. If we fail to appreciate what we have just received – freely and undeserved – then we will take it for granted and risk moving on without a real healing happening.
May our Lord grant us all the gift of reconciliation, and may we all receive it and celebrate it well in the days ahead.