(The following is a homily given for a penance service in Dale, IN on Wednesday, November 12, 2014)
As Catholics, we live in a Church that uses
signs to help us grow closer to God.
These signs are called Sacraments (see CCC 1152). Most of us here have experienced at least two
Sacraments: Baptism and Eucharist. When we were born, or when we came into the
Church, we received the love of God
through the cleansing waters of Baptism, making us members of the Body of
Christ (see # 84 of the Rite of Baptism for One Child). And when we come to Mass, on Sundays or
during the week, we receive the love of
God in the Eucharist, where we eat and drink the Body, Blood, Soul and
Divinity of Jesus Christ, under the forms of bread and wine (see CCC 1374).
In this Sacrament of Reconciliation,
we will receive the love of God
through words of absolution said by the priest (see #46 of the Rite of Penance).
I may have told some of you that I came into
full communion with the Church back in 2000, when I was 13 years old. I remember that one of the hardest things for
me to do was to learn how to trust in the power of the sacrament of
reconciliation. It was hard for me then,
and it continues to be a struggle for now, to let go of my sinfulness,
and give it to the open hands of Jesus Christ in confession.
I like to cling to my sins – because I may
feel embarrassed or guilty, or maybe because I’m comfortable with them.
So, when I am asked to let them go, so that I might be
forgiven – that my spiritual illness can be healed, I often wonder if sometimes
I’ll have the courage to do it or not.
The words that the priest says to us in
confession have helped me face this fear concerning confession. They are very important to think about as we
prepare our hearts to receive God’s love this evening.
This is what the priest will say to us:
“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. Amen” (#84 of the Rite of Penance)
When I think of the words of absolution, I am
immediately drawn to the first few words: “God, the Father of mercies” – this
image has always brought a sense of comfort and protection to me. I envision a parent, eyes filled with love and compassion, sitting next
to me, working with me on some problem I may be having, at school or work, with
friends or family, or even within myself.
I feel this parent, with love and
compassion, embrace me and tend to the wounds of my soul that come when I
sin. I hear this parent, with a voice of
love and compassion, whisper to me
that I will be ok, and that my problems are not so big that they cannot be
overcome with God’s help.
These words remind me that my God is a merciful God, full of
“goodness,” “greatness,” and “compassion” who “wipes out” the evil in my life
by “washing me from my guilt” and “cleans[ing] me” of my sinfulness (Ps. 51:1) -- all
because He loves me.
These words strengthen me with the assurance
that my merciful God has forgiven my
“evildoing and remembers [my] sin no more.” (Jer. 31:34) – all because He loves me.
These words push me to work to be like my merciful God in my daily living,
teaching the world of His ways of love
and compassion by being loving and compassionate to everyone I meet (see
Ps. 51:15) – and all of this is
because my God has shown his love for me.
God’s love is what brings us here tonight. God’s
love is what makes possible the redemption of this world – a world that is
tattered and torn, bruised and sick because it has fallen into sin. God’s
love rights our wrongs; it heals our souls; it yearns to save us!
But God’s love can only do these things if we
allow it to. As our Lord tells us in the Gospel reading, the only way to let God work His Law of Love in
our lives is if we “Love the Lord, our God, with all our heart, with all our
soul, and with all our mind” (see Mt. 22:37).
We must choose to do this – God won’t force us to make this
decision.
If we choose to Love our God the way He loves
us, we will be changed forever. He will
show us that by seeing Him in those we meet, and by bringing Him to those who
need help and comfort, we not only receive His love, but we share His love with
the world.
In Confession, we have a special opportunity to
learn how to share God’s love. The love
we receive from our God when we confess our sins, will help us see that we are
called to be just a loving to others as God has been and continues to be to
us.
My brothers and sisters, our God is a God of
Mercy; a God of Love; a God of Compassion.
He is a God Who is worthy of our trust; worthy of our acceptance; worthy
of our allegiance. And because of this,
our God asks of us only one thing: to let
Him use us to show the world how awesome and great His love is.
This is what God wants – He wants us all to
be close to Him; to have a real and lasting relationship with Him, so that He
can embrace us all in heaven.
God wants to love you tonight. Let
Him do this for you as you meet Him in Confession. Let
Him embrace you with His love and compassion; let Him touch you with His mercy; let Him whisper to you:
“I forgive you; I redeem you; I love you.”
