Now that we have entered into the season of Advent I have been very busy with penance services around the diocese. This coming Friday at 7pm our parish will hold our penance service. One of the blogs that I often read quoted a priest who used his homily from the first week of Advent to tell the people what he wanted from the parish community for his Christmas gift. Instead of being concerned with money or food it was his desire that the people of his parish would go to confession. I would like to extend this same invitation to you this day. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is something that each of us needs in our lives and is the perfect way for us to prepare ourselves for the Christmas season. Through Confession we are able to express the reality that we sin, but from it we are able to receive healing from Christ's infinite mercy. There is nobody here, myself included, who is not in need of God's mercy and forgiveness. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a way to enter into this profound mercy.
Our first reading tells Jerusalem to take off its "robe of mourning and misery." In the place of this robe we should be adorned with the "splendor of glory from God." Our sins have clothed us inside of this mourning and misery, but despite them the hope of God's Heavenly splendor remains. Saint Augustine said that we must stand upon our sins and they will lift us up to God. This is a very profound image to think about because it shows that we can conquer our sinfulness. This image shows that no matter how much we fall into sin or how vile that sin may be we can still come to conquer them. There is always hope to be found if we only attempt to do something. When we lose hope and do nothing our sins begin to stand upon us. They wrap us inside of this sorrowful robe and it seems that all hope has been lost. This feeling of the loss of hope is a great lie that the evil one sends into our lives because hope always remains as long as we reach out with sorrow and call upon the splendor that is found inside of God's mercy.
And so my brothers and sisters in Christ we must ask ourselves what is keeping us from reaching out for the "fruit of righteousness." Here among us we find people who reach out for this fruit often, others who at least come for it twice a year for penance services, those who have gone years without attempting to reach for it, and maybe even a few who have never reached out for this fruit at all. To those who come to the Sacrament of Penance often I thank you for your great courage and encourage you to continue to endure in God's mercy. For you who come twice a year I challenge you to continue to allow yourselves to stand upon your sins and to do so as often as possible. For you who have gone many years without searching out this mercy I encourage you to overcome your fear of sin and return to the sacrament of Christ's mercy. To those who have never entered into this great sacrament do not fear because your sins can be forgiven and the priest can aid you in making a good first confession.
When we fall into sin we are following a road that is far from straight. The road that sin leads us down is filled with many twists and turns. Falling into sin gets us lost inside of our own chaos and makes it impossible for us to find a way out from this entrapment. If we leave finding a way out of this misery up to our own resources we will always remain lost without a glimmer of hope. Instead of trusting in our own resources we must turn to Christ who will make the way straight. With His assistance inside of our life we can finally move about with purpose instead of getting lost within the chaos. To turn towards the mercy of Christ will help us to realize that our sins are nothing compared to Christ's love and mercy. In sinfulness we have turned away from the love that God showers upon us and have trusted in ourselves alone. Turning towards Christ's mercy we realize our need for this perfect love to enter back into our lives. May we not allow fear to be the thing that gets in the way from this taking place.
May we not allow fear to be the thing that keeps us away from the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Satan wants us to think that we do not need or are unworthy of receiving this Sacrament. Let us no longer allow the devil to take control of our lives, but instead banish his lying voice from our ears. Instead of allowing the father of lies to fill all our minds with chaos let us turn towards the voice of John which comes from the wilderness pointing the way to The Lord. The Sacrament of Reconciliation points the way to The Lord out to each of us and from it comes the hope of God's mercy coming into our lives to make the path straight. In confession we do not come before a man to receive forgiveness, but come to Christ the Divine Healer. Christ the Divine Healer who is able to forgive sins and fix the brokenness of our hearts and to reconcile the effects that our sins have brought upon the community of faith. In the midst of this Divine Healer the voice of the father of lies can finally be silenced from within our lives.
As we continue to prepare ourselves during this season of Advent let us reflect upon our lives and ask ourselves what sins we have committed since our last confession and then not run in fear of them. Instead of running away may we bring them to the Sacrament of Reconciliation that brings mercy and forgiveness into our lives. In Confession we do not have to give details or excuses, but only need to put a name to our sins. In naming them with a contrite heart we are able to be assured of the mercy of God. Let us not take the risk that comes with avoiding confession because that risk is not worth it. Instead of taking the daily risk that comes with avoiding confession may we flock to this sacrament as we flock to the Holy Eucharist. Let us keep in mind 1 Corinthians 11:29 which states: "For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body, eats and drinks judgement upon himself." In our examination of conscience let us realize our need for mercy because it is connected to the Holy Eucharist that we receive.
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