Come back to me with all your heart Joel 2:12 A Pastoral Letter to the Priests and Faithful of the Diocese of Parramatta on Rediscovering The SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION Lent 2011
I m sorry. If we are to have lasting happiness in this world and the next, there are three short phrases we need to say and say often: I m sorry I forgive you I love you. Married people know that. Friends know that. Our nation has said sorry and our Church has too, for its many failings, especially of some of our pastors. But why do we need to say sorry, out loud, to someone? Isn t it enough to feel sorry? And why, when it comes to serious sins, do we have to say sorry to or through a priest in Confession? Human beings give meaning to their world by naming things. Their first task in the Bible was to name the animals. Adam also named his wife Eve (Gen 2:19-20, 3:20). The two then named their children. Naming God is a more tricky business, as Moses discovered: God revealed Himself only gradually to humanity, lest we imagine we could tame Him or neatly sum Him up (Ex 3:13-15). But eventually, in God s good time, He revealed Himself in Jesus as God-with-us, God-who-saves (Mt 1:21-23). It was Peter who called Jesus the Christ, the Son of the living God (Mt 16:16). We don t just name visible things. From the time we first learn to talk, we try to describe our experiences, thoughts and feelings, the invisible things as much as the visible. Naming gives us a measure of understanding and control. Our parents also tell us the names of things to be careful of: fire, traffic, things that might hurt us. Moses is told the words or names of things, mostly of things to avoid: idolatry, impiety, violence, adultery, stealing, lying, lust and envy (Ex 20:1-17). The flipside are the things we seek to respect, protect, live by: reverence for God and the things of God, for worship, family, life, sex and the body, property, relationships and the higher things. These ten names for what s-to-be-done and what s-not-to-be-done for the good life are our Ten Commandments. Ought we to feel bad about doing what snot-to-be-done or failing to do what we should? Of course! Some people say all guilt is neurotic or a waste of energy; that we should cast off that yoke, follow our own impulses, learn to love our foibles. It s true that self-esteem is important and that selfhating guilt is pathological. Bad guilt hangs around unrecognised or undealt-with; but repentance moves us to reform our lives. If only mass murderers, child molesters, family breakers, pension-fund thieves and the smug rich experienced repentance, they might do something about it. That s why Christ s first public word was: Repent! (Mt 4:17) Repent, He says to us still. Don t just feel bad, but change. Don t go on a guilt trip head towards the sacrament of liberation. And that begins with naming it out loud,
with telling it like it is. Owning up to sin, putting it out there, is an act of self-knowledge and of taking responsibility, a recognition not just of what we ve done wrong but of what that has done to us, what it s made us. To stand honestly before God in the presence of His priest in the Sacrament of Penance takes courage and humility. Yet such owning up is the beginning of healing, the way to a better future. By weeding the garden of our souls we make space for the flowers to grow. The Miserere Psalm 51 is a great prayer of preparation, penance and thanksgiving for Reconciliation. The sinner wants mercy, cleansing, rescue, resurrection. He asks God for a renewed spirit. He knows that all God asks of him is a humbled, contrite heart. Naming the wrong we ve done is coming to God with a humbled heart. Asking help to turn a new leaf and sin no more is a contrite heart.
I forgive you. Now s the time to rediscover the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Some people worry about being judged in the confessional. But confessors are not there to wag fingers. Our soon-to-be-beatified Pope John Paul II still made his weekly confession as a bishop: he simply went to his local parish church and got in the queue with everyone else. The fact is: priests are sinners too. We all need Confession. So people shouldn t be embarrassed about telling their story to a priest. Priests are humbled and inspired by penitents. They want to help them start afresh with an encouraging word, some spiritual advice, a penance and, best of all, those breathtaking words: I absolve you from your sins. God s response to those words is awesome. What the Church has forgiven, I forgive, He says (cf. Mt 18:18). Just give me that humbled, contrite heart; I will not spurn it. Now the healing and the spiritual growth can begin. There are many moving stories of such healing and growth in the Gospels. In the very first chapter of Mark s Gospel (vv. 40-4), for instance, a leper comes to Jesus and begs Him: If you want to, you can make me clean. Of course I want to, Jesus responds immediately, Be healed. His mission is just that: to reconcile us to God and make us whole. Now go and show yourself to a priest, He says, so that you can rejoin the communion of God s chosen ones. There are stories, too, of confession, absolution and celebration: the parables of the Lost ( Prodigal ) Son, the Lost Sheep and the Lost Coin (Lk ch. 15); the paralytic man borne by others to Peter s house (the Church) for forgiveness and healing (Mk 2:1-12); the tears of Peter after his triple denial of Christ and his subsequent triple profession of love (Mk 14:66-72; Jn 21:15-19). My favourite is the story of the Woman Caught in Adultery (Jn 8:1-11). The vigilantes bay for her blood and hope to compromise Jesus in the process. She does not deny her crimes: she falls helpless at Jesus feet and awaits judgment. Misery meets Mercy. How do we respond? We can either join the hypocrites and wag our fingers; or we can join the contrite woman, facing up to who we are, and co-operating in God s extreme makeover of our souls. Then Jesus will address us with His wonderful words of reconciliation, liberation, new life: Neither will I condemn you. Go in peace and sin no more. The woman is given back her original nobility and self-esteem. She is no longer The Woman Caught in Adultery. She has her own good name back; a new future is opened to her, one in which she is no longer captive to Sin. But can t we just leave these things as private matters between us and God? Jesus knows all too well that we are inclined to self-delusion
and rationalisation and that we are unlikely to own up to our failings unless we name them, out loud, to another person. Jesus also knows that we might never accept that we are forgiven by God unless it is said out loud to us by His Church. As bodily beings we need physical, audible, sacramental signs of grace. That s why Christ instituted this sacrament of Confession-Penance-Reconciliation. Some people think confession to another person is too hard; others think it s too easy. The Church can seem both too stingy in doling out the mercy because it demands reform of life in line with the Gospel and yet too lavish with the mercy because it says even the worst sinner is welcome back after a simple, honest Confession. Too demanding and too compassionate: this is, of course, exactly how some people found Christ.
I love you. Another New Testament story of a courageous contrite person is that of the woman whose confession was to wash Jesus feet with tears of contrition and whose penance was to anoint them with kisses of thanksgiving (Lk 7:36-50). His host complains that a holy man should not come so close to a sinner. Nonsense, says Jesus, God wants to come close to sinners; I AM the physician of souls (Mk 2:15-17). And He said to her: Your sins are forgiven. Then those who were at table with Him began to say among themselves: who is this, that He even forgives sins? (Lk 7:49) The woman is the only one in the room who really knows who this is. Jesus is the compassion of God, God saving, God forgiving. He says her faith in Him has saved her. He recognises that because she s been forgiven so much, she loves much; and because she has loved so much, much can be forgiven her. Now her most precious friendship of all with God is restored and she can grow in holiness. That s why people cry when they are forgiven: because they know they are alive and free... to go and sin no more... to live and love well again... to forgive others as we have been forgiven. Absolution expands our hearts. It enables us to love bigger and better, to grow spiritually and emotionally. It overflows in thanksgiving to God. At last we can love back the One who loved us so much he submitted to torture and death on the Cross for our forgiveness. Jesus loved us to death His death but He did not say Go and sin some more. Jesus teaches, exhorts, corrects because He loves, because He respects, because He regards the prodigal son and the woman caught in adultery as free moral agents, images of God, designed for the true and good and beautiful. What follows after repentance and absolution, then, is a new life. The ten words or commandments name not only past wrongs but future happiness. It s a positive vision of a life to be lived in pursuit of all that s good (God, life, family, friendship, truth and so on), a life to be lived with passion, a life sometimes hard, sometimes joyful, but ultimately the most fulfilling. The Church exhorts us to seek sacramental Confession whenever we have committed serious sin; to be reconciled to God and our brothers and sisters before taking our gifts to the altar (cf. Mt 5:23-24; Is 1:14-17). Jesus first gift to the Church at Easter was the power to forgive sins (Jn 20:22-23). It is a power closely connected to that rising from the dead to which we look during this time of Lent. That s why Catholics tend to go to Confession in the lead up to Easter. But it is never too late to call upon the gentle forgiveness of God; and we cannot return to God too often. At any time we can name our sins out aloud and hear those most liberating words: Your sins are forgiven you: go in peace and sin no more.
Next the Father of the Lost Son, the Shepherd of the Lost Sheep, the Finder of the Lost Coin says, Now, come celebrate with me; join me now at the table of the Lord. (Lk 15:1-10; 19:1-10) Only after Confession and Absolution of any serious sin can we approach Holy Communion; only then are we ready for the Wedding Feast of God s kingdom (cf. Mt 22:11-14). Let s party, says our Easter Lord to the sinner raised from the tomb of sin. There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. (Lk 15:7).
Time of celebration. Come back to me, with all your heart, God pleads with us today (Joel 2:12). God s mercy and reconciliation are beautiful themes to consider in this year when the Diocese of Parramatta celebrates its 25 th anniversary and more than 200 years of Catholic presence in Western Sydney. Every jubilee is a season of mercy, of waiving old debts, letting go of old grudges, giving thanks for blessings received and looking forward with hope. Our Silver Jubilee is no exception. So I ask you, especially in this time of Lent and this Year of Jubilee, to avail yourselves of this wonderful gift of Confession. I ask my brother priests to make generous provision for you. I ask our schools to look at how better provision for Reconciliation can be made there for our young people. In the coming days I will personally lead a Second Rite of Reconciliation service in every Deanery of the Diocese. See you there! May God bless you and your loved ones in the holy season of Easter and throughout this Jubilee Year for our Diocese. Yours sincerely in Christ, (Most Rev) Anthony Fisher OP BISHOP OF PARRAMATTA Diocese of Parramatta 2011 Design: Catholic Communications, Catholic Archdiocese of Melbourne Cover photography: Alphonsus Fok and Grace Lu
The Miserere. The Miserere (Psalm 51) is a great prayer of preparation, penance and thanksgiving for Confession: Have mercy on me, God, in your kindness. In your compassion blot out my offense. O wash me more and more from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. My offences truly I know them; my sin is always before me. Against you, you alone, have I sinned; what is evil in your sight I have done. That you may be justified when you give sentence and be without reproach when you judge. O see, in guilt I was born, a sinner was I conceived. Indeed you love truth in the heart; then in the secret of my heart teach me wisdom. O purify me, then I shall be clean; O wash me, I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear rejoicing and gladness that the bones you have crushed may revive. From my sins turn away your face and blot out all my guilt. A pure heart create for me, O God, put a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, nor deprive me of your Holy Spirit. Give me again the joy of your help; with a spirit of fervour sustain me, that I may teach transgressors your ways and sinners may return to you. O rescue me, God, my helper, and my tongue shall ring out your goodness. O Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall declare your praise. For in sacrifice you take no delight, burnt offering from me you would refuse; my sacrifice, a contrite spirit, a humbled, contrite heart you will not spurn. In your goodness, show favour to Zion; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you will be pleased with lawful sacrifice, holocausts offered on your altar. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen Many famous composers set this beautiful psalm to music. The Allegri Misere performed by the Kings College Choir is available on YouTube and on CD. Modern settings include the band Funeral Mist, Manus Tuas from their album Salvation (2003) and John Foreman, White as snow from his album Winter (2008). itunes now has an application Confession: A Roman Catholic App available at itunes.apple.com to help you prepare for Confession. Some websites about Confession include: Why go to Confession? http://catholicism.about.com/od/beliefsteachings/p/why_confession.htm A Guide for Confession: www.catholic.org/prayers/confession.php The Catechism on the Sacrament of Penance: www.usccb.org/catechism/text/pt2sect2chpt2.shtml How To Go To Confession: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tdnws-2qydk&feature=fvw The Act of Contrition: www.youtube.com/watch?v=v49ocf9y3p0&feature=more_related A GUIDE TO THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION REMOVABLE INSERT
HOW TO MAKE A GOOD CONFESSION Have a good look at yourself in the spiritual mirror as it were. What sort of a person have I become? What am I rightly proud of? What am I ashamed of? Be honest. Don t go make excuses. Be sorry for what you ve done wrong and trust in God s mercy. Resolve to change your life for the better and ask God s help to do that. See Confession as the beginning of a new and better chapter. Now, go to the priest and begin with the Sign of the Cross. The priest will welcome you, perhaps with some words from Scripture. You respond: Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It s weeks/ months/years since my last Confession. Confess your sins openly and honestly. Tell the priest any grave ( mortal ) sins you remember (and how often), any bad habits you ve got into, what things you are asking God s help to change. It s a good idea to confess less serious ( venial ) sins too, especially any repeat offenders. Listen to any spiritual advice the priest offers you. If you have a question about the Faith, your spiritual life or whether something is a sin, ask him. Then the priest will assign you a penance a task designed to help the process of repair after forgiveness. Pray the Act of Contrition when the priest tells you. Listen to the words of Absolution as the priest forgives you in the name of God and His Church. Thank God for this gift and do the penance the priest assigned you. AN AID TO YOUR EXAMINATION OF CONSCIENCE First Commandment: I am the Lord your God: you shall not put other gods before me. Positive value: Reverence for God. What are my priorities in life? Do I put God first and love Him with all my heart or do I put something or someone before God? Do I pray daily? Have I informed my conscience properly and then applied it honestly in my decisions? Do I receive the teachings of Christ and His Church with an open heart and profess them openly? Or have I resisted less convenient teachings or denied them so as to get along? Do I receive Holy Communion often (at least annually in Eastertide), and prepare well for this? Or have I gone to Communion thoughtlessly, ungratefully or without first confessing grave sins? Do I go to Confession whenever I have committed a serious sin and am I honest when I go to Confession? Have I engaged in any occult, satanic or superstitious practices? Have I avoided activities that I know can be occasions of sin for me? Second Commandment: You shall not take God s name in vain. Positive value: Respect for the things of God. Do I give due honour to God, His holy name, sacred ministers and sacred things? Have I used the name of the Lord (God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit...) disrespectfully, or the names of Mary or the saints? Have I deliberately harboured hatred or resentment towards God? Have I cursed or wished evil on another person? Have I lied under oath or violated a vow?
Third Commandment: Keep the Lord s Day holy. Positive value: Worship of God. Do I make worship of God a priority in my life? Is Sunday my day of rest, prayer and dedication to my family, avoiding unnecessary work and shopping? Have I missed Mass on Sunday without a serious reason? Or on a Holy Day of Obligation (in Australia: 25 December and 15 August)? Do I try to be there for all of Mass and try to be engaged with God, His Word and the sacred actions while I am there? Do I fast and do penance at the proper times (Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, other Fridays)? Do I fast for an hour before receiving Holy Communion? Fourth Commandment: Honour your father and mother. Positive value: Reverence for family. Do I love, honour and respect my parents, other older people, and those in authority? Have I shown appropriate care for my spouse, children, siblings, other family? Have I neglected the aged, sick or lonely? Have I tried to ensure that my children receive the sacraments, are given good religious instruction and practice their faith? Fifth Commandment: You shall not kill. Positive value: Reverence for life. Do I uphold the dignity of every person? Do I love others appropriately and forgive those who hurt me? Or do I harbour hatred, grudges or prejudices? Have I deliberately harmed someone, physically, emotionally, or in reputation? Do I care for my own physical, emotional, and spiritual health? Have I abused alcohol or drugs or driven under the influence? Do I act recklessly? Have I had an abortion or helped someone else to have one? Have I attempted suicide or other self-harm? Sixth Commandment: You shall not commit adultery. Positive value: Reverence for sex and the body. Do I reverence my own body and have I been faithful to my state in life (married, vowed, single)? Am I a flirt? Have I engaged in immodest or sexually inappropriate behaviour? Do I honour my own marriage / family and support others in their family life? Have I committed sexual acts outside of marriage? Have I used bad language or told impure jokes? Have I used or encouraged others to use contraception or sterilisation? Have I viewed pornographic magazines, film or websites? Seventh Commandment: You shall not steal. Positive value: Reverence for earthly goods. Do I honour the goods of the earth and of other people and try to contribute to the improvement of this world? Do I share with those in need, giving generously to charities and contributing to the material needs of the Church? Have I stolen, pirated or damaged other people s property? Have I cheated someone or failed to make just restitution? Do I gamble excessively or spend wastefully? Do I act justly with respect to my employer, employees and in my tax affairs? A GUIDE TO THE SACRAMENT OF RECONCILIATION REMOVABLE INSERT
Eighth Commandment: You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour. Positive value: Reverence for truth. Do I always seek to know and speak and live by the truth? Or have I lied, exaggerated or sworn falsely? Do I gossip or reveal confidences without good reason? Have I damaged someone s good name or failed to defend those unjustly criticised? Have I plagiarised or been academically dishonest? Ninth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbour s wife or people. Positive value: Reverence for persons. Do I reverence other people s bodies and state in life? Do I guard my senses, imagination and memory? Or have I wilfully lusted after another person or entertained impure thoughts? Am I envious of the abilities, talents, beauty, friendships or success of others? Do I ridicule, humiliate or manipulate others? Do I encourage others to live good lives? Or have encouraged them to engage in a sin or wrongly assisted them in doing so? Tenth Commandment: You shall not covet your neighbour s goods. Positive value: Reverence for higher things. Do I put the higher things first in my life or am I materialistic and part of the consumer culture? Am I excessively attached to material goods or envious of what others have? Do I show respect for the earth? Or do I unnecessarily damage the ecology? Have I desired or planned to steal, destroy or damage the property of another? Do I trust God to provide and am I grateful when He does? AN ACT OF CONTRITION O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended you, and I detest all my sins because of your just punishments, but most of all because they offend you, my God, who are all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. or O my God, I am truly sorry for all my sins and ask your help to sin no more. (There are many other versions of the Act of Contrition available in the Rite.)