Lost Lambs

Most of the Catholic world has the Sacrament of Penance on Saturdays at their local parish. I usually make use of the nearest Catholic church for confession on Saturdays. I have met Jesus in this Sacrament many times, I try to make frequent use of it and try to never have more than 2 weeks go by without going even if I have no serious sin to confess. I have gone to confession more in the last 1.5 years than in my entire life combined.

Since I have returned to the faith I have had the opportunity to  have penance in the older form as well as the new form, I have had my confession heard in various locations, for example: rectory, church office, gym, convention center, Seminary rector’s office, sacristy, parish hall, and a few other odd places I’m sure I cant recall. Very rarely will I sit for the sacrament, no matter where I am, I prefer to kneel (just like when I take communion FTR ) even if its face to face. After reflecting I must say I enjoy the “Ordinary Form” of confession - with an orthodox Catholic priest - to the “Extraordinary form”. Probably the only Sacrament I prefer in the new form.

I think my preference stems from my lack of fluency in Latin. The new form of Absolution goes a little something like this:

God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.

I must say that every time I hear those words it sends chills down my spine, in a good way. I don’t have any more of an explanation than that, I know we should not rely on feelings for determining roles in our religious life -especially confession- yet these are the words that draw me to the newer form.  In all honestly I know it doesn’t matter if the absolution is given in English or Latin, the problem I have run into is that some priests- just like they do with their liturgy- take certain liberties with the form. I have heard various things like: Jesus Forgives you, I take your sins upon myself, or just simply the “I absolve you in the name…”. While I always try to ensure that my absolution is valid - the minimum needed for validity is the “I absolve you in the name…” the priest has no right to change or omit the words that the church has laid out for him to use. This is something very important, I beg you dear readers to ensure that you are having the correct words of absolution said.

I conclude with one last remark - In the new form (and possibly the older form) there is a dismissal prayer that also brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it- however rare it is:

May the Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of all the saints, whatever good you do and suffering you endure,heal your sins, help you to grow in holiness, and reward you with eternal life.

Go in peace.

If you have heard this dismissal before let me know in the combox, I’m curious as to how common it really is.  I always enjoy your comments and questions, don’t be shy!

For your benefit check out Fr. Z’s 20 Tips for making a good confession

I have been gone for quite some time, but now I return to you with much more time on my hands now, so maybe there will be an influx of good posts coming your way from me.

To ease back into the world of blogging I want to share with you this prayer after Communion.

This is a Three part series of posts that will Deal with the Meaning of life

We are called to Know Him, to Love him, and Serve him in this world and spend eternity with him in the next.

This is the meaning of life, plain and simple. It is through living our vocation and persevering through the struggles and tribulations of daily life that we praise and honor God. This post will consider ways that we can better serve our Lord.

Firefighter, Pilot, Solider,Homemaker,Lawyer - You get the Idea we all have a role to play, the path that we choose to follow may vary but we all hope to be heading to the same destination that is the Beatific Vision. No road heading in this direction is easy, this road is one of great difficulty, if we are so lucky. It is in the times of greatest struggle that we really may have a chance to get to really know and serve the Lord.

While the acts of our day may often seem mundane, we must remove our initial reaction and perception. It is quite easy to get frustrated or angry at a screaming toddler, the gut reaction is usually one of haste and immediate gratification to silence the child. Instead of these instances of frustration we should learn to treat the child and his tantrum with total love and calmness, if the issue can not be resolved with tenderness and compassion the issue must not be resolved with the opposite emotions of anger and frustration. It is in acts of love toward the most unappealing situations that we can serve God.

Whether its a toddler, working late in the office, In the line of fire - this the Cross God has asked us to carry. God never gives us more than we can handle, in thinking we know what we can or can not handle we only do injustice to God, as he knows us better than anyone. Is life Fair? NO! Some have what we perceive to be no large yolk around their neck, we then sin by envying the light load of others. Whatever we are called we can serve better when we embrace our Cross like Jesus and continue along our way.

The rocky road of our life can be endured much more easily, and we can serve much more effectively when we live in an abundance of Grace. Grace from God overflows in the Sacraments, all of them bestow great amounts of grace. Since only two of the seven can be given continually, participating in the Eucharist and Confessing our sins regularly we can affirm all the total grace that has been given.

I leave you with the response we should all have when we are called to serve God even in the most dire circumstance:

And Mary said: Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to thy word.

Luke 1:38

Divine Mercy Sunday is here today, Jesus’ favorite Sunday as told to us by St. Faustina. His abundant grace is here for all, even the worst of sinners-Would God have it any other way?

This post is not meant to be judgmental but to encourage the faithful whom have not been in a long time. As we are asked to confess our sins on a regular basis so that we may remain in a state of grace to receive our Lord in the Most Holy Eucharist.

Living in a state of grace is hard.. wait.. no.. living in a state of grace is VERY VERY Hard, the enemy tempts us in so many ways, we must keep our vessels clean so that the Holy Spirit may fill us with love, and help us to prevent the devil from sending his minions to claim our soul.

Do I sound a bit fire and brimstone-ish? I hope so, fear of God must be spread, as well as fear of eternal separation from God, as we do not know the Time or the place of our death it is recorded with God… are we so sure we can make it til next week to confess, let alone tomorrow?

Please my Brothers and Sisters in Christ, remember if you die with a Mortal Sin you will pay for it, this is why our lord has given us this wonderful sacrament, we must make GOOD confessions, put aside the uneasy feeling of confessing and remember that just as the Priest is truly Christ at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, he is Truly Christ when he issues Absolution!

With confession comes the key part.. the Confessional does not have a Revolving door, you MUST make a firm purpose of amendment for your sins, please be truly sorry. Please make a good Act of Contrition! And please keep your penance.