Life’s lesson teaches us that when we
get dirty, we should take a bath or have a shower, as the case may be. Oh
yes! This is a very simple instruction
from life. If you do not pay heed to this lesson, you remain dirty, unkempt,
unclean and undesirable and soon enough, you begin to lose friends.
The Church also has a similar lesson
to teach us about our souls? The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes
mortal sin thus: “Mortal sin destroys charity in the heart of man by a grave
violation of God’s law; it turns man away from God, who is his ultimate end and
his beatitude, by preferring an inferior good to him.” (C.C.C. #1855) C.C.C.
#1874 continues, “To choose deliberately – that is, both knowing it and willing
it – something gravely contrary to the divine law and to the ultimate end of
man is to commit a mortal sin. This destroys in us the charity without which
eternal beatitude is impossible. Unrepented, it brings eternal death.” In his
second Epistle 5:16-17, John states “If you see a believer commit a sin that
does not lead to death, you should pray to God, who will give that person life.
This applies to those whose sins do not lead to death. But there is sin which
leads to death and I don’t say that you should pray to God about that. All
wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin which does not lead to death”. It follows
therefore, that the sin that leads to death is mortal and it is the sin that
also drives God away from your soul. This too is hell, for hell is a situation
where there is no God. So if John the evangelist tells us to pray for those who
commit venial sin, what should we do for those who commit mortal sin? C.C.C.
#1856 instructs: “Mortal sin, by attacking the vital principle within us – that
is, charity – necessitates a new initiative of God’s mercy and a conversion of
heart which is normally accomplished within the setting of the Sacrament of
Confession.”
As your body gets dirty due to work,
workout or sporting activities, so too is your soul. As you go about your daily
duties and are concerned with life, you gather dirt called sin that clings to your
soul. This dirt is, most of the time, as a result of your relationships and bad
choices. If unchecked, it will take away
your peace; your joy and gradually your relationship with God will be affected
and may end up driving God away from your life completely. You become hardened
and your conscience deadened. Finally, you grow used to sin and are mastered by
it.
The sacrament reconciliation is one of
the channels of Grace that Christ gave to the Church after his resurrection.
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Through the sacraments of
Christian initiation, man receives the new life of Christ. Now we carry this
life “in earthen vessels,” and it remains “hidden with Christ in God.” We are
still in our “earthly tent,” subject to suffering, illness, and death. This new
life as a child of God can be weakened and even lost by sin.” The Catechism remind
us: “The Lord Jesus Christ, physician of our souls and bodies, who forgave the
sins of the paralytic and restored him to bodily health, has willed that his
Church continue, in the power of the Holy Spirit, his work of healing and
salvation, even among her own members. This is the purpose of the two sacraments
of healing: the sacrament of Penance and the sacrament of Anointing of the
Sick.”
Isn’t it sad that very few Catholics
use this sacrament nowadays? Many see it as old fashion, outdated or obsolete.
Really? It’s strange that many would spend a lot of money on counseling but would
be slow to approach the throne of Grace and ask for mercy freely given in the
sacrament of reconciliation. Yet the Catechism teaches us that “Those who
approach the sacrament of Penance obtain pardon from God’s mercy for the
offense committed against him, and are at the same time, reconciled with the
Church which they have wounded by their sins and which by charity, by example,
and by prayer labors for their conversion.” No wonder Pope Francis sees the
sacrament of reconciliation as the sacrament of mercy. On March 28, 2014 the
Holy Father states in his homily at Casa Santa Marta thus: “God waits for us
and never tires of forgiving us. Reflecting on the book of Prophet Hosea:
“Return, O Israel to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt.
Take with you words, and return to the Lord”, he stressed, “God waits and also God forgives, He is the
God of mercy, he never tires of forgiving us. It is we who are tired of asking
for forgiveness, but he never gets tired”.
One of the best ways to celebrate the
Easter is to purify yourself of sins through the sacrament of reconciliation,
so called, as the Catechism teaches “because it imparts to the sinner the love
of God.” He who lives by God’s merciful love is ready to respond to the Lord’s
call: “Go, first be reconciled to your brother.” Pope Benedict XVI linked the
sacrament of reconciliation to the work of evangelization. Read on:
“Thus
sacramental confession is an important aspect of new evangelization. “True
conversion of hearts, which means opening ourselves to the transforming and
regenerative actions of God, is the ‘motor’ of all reform and turns into an
authentic force for evangelization. During Confession, the repentant sinner,
thanks to the gratuitous action of divine Mercy, is justified, forgiven and
sanctified… Only those who allow themselves to be profoundly renewed by divine
Grace can internalize and therefore announce the novelty of the Gospel”. All
saints in history bear witness to this close relationship between sanctity and
the Sacrament of Reconciliation. New evangelization itself “draws life blood
from the sanctity of the sons and daughters of the Church, from the daily
process of individual and community conversion, conforming itself ever more
profoundly to Christ.”
The sacrament of reconciliation offers
you the chance to humble yourself before God your father as the prodigal son in
Luke’s Gospel 15, and enables you to receive forgiveness for your sins. It is the
washing or the shower that you need for your soul. The penance that you receive
makes you feel clean and refresh so that you may have the courage to face a new
day with strength.
If you have not yet done so, I plead
with you to make use of this sacrament. Approach it with love and humility, be
courageous and go to the God of mercy, confess your sins and receive
forgiveness and absolution from God. Listen again to the words of Christ in
John’s Gospel 20:22-23: “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are
forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” The Church truly has
the power to forgive sins and Christ gave that power in the sacrament of
reconciliation. Please take these golden words of Pope Francis to heart as you
prepare to have your sins forgiven on April 8th at 7:00 pm: “He will
make a feast for you, ‘His splendor shall be like the olive tree and his
fragrance like the Lebanon cedar.’ The life of every person, of every man, of
every woman, who has the courage to draw close to the Lord, will find the joy
of the feast of God. So, may this word help us to think of our Father, the
Father that waits for us always, who always forgives us and who feasts when
return.” What else can I tell you?