God is quick to forgive, and he’s given us the gift of confession so we can return to a relationship with him after sin. But this love he has for us is so great that he never wants us to be caught by sin again, which is why he allows our sins to have consequences. Just like your parents would teach you why something is wrong, God helps us build knowledge of sin and its consequences by letting us experience them. Without learning from our mistakes, we would just keep falling into the same sins, separating us from a relationship with God.
Today, Fr. Mike explains why God lets us learn from our mistakes, and how it shows the depth of his mercy.
Great question from Nancy: What can I do or say or think about so I don’t dread confession? We all can feel that angst about confessing our sins, so we tackle that head-on this week. We also recommend some great (and catholic!) coffee and a simple way to up the comfort-level of your home.
“For want of contrition, innumerable Confessions are either sacrilegious or invalid; the penitent so often breaks his promises to God, and falls again so easily into the same faults, and many souls are eternally lost. Contrition is that true and lively sorrow which the soul has for all the sins it has committed, with a firm determination never to commit them any more . . . Many Christians spend a long time in examining their consciences, and in making long and often unnecessary narrations to the confessor, and then bestow little or no time upon considering the malice of their sins, and upon bewailing and detesting them. Christians such as these, says St. Gregory, act like a wounded man who shows his wounds to the doctor with the utmost anxiety and care, and then will not make use of the remedies prescribed. It is not so much thinking, nor so much speaking of your sins that will procure their pardon, but heartfelt sorrow and detestation of them.”— Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, p. 289
Learn more about Fr. Mike Schmitz and Fr. Josh Johnson’s Pocket Guide to the Sacrament of Reconciliation: https://tinyurl.com/yhwfakge
Confession is a place of never ending mercy and forgiveness, and is one of the most beautiful parts of our Catholic faith. But for many, it can also be a very daunting experience, especially if it’s been a long time since your last confession. Whether it’s the first time you’ve gone in a year, or it’s the first time you’ve gone in your life, God is ready and willing to forgive your sins. All we have to do is let him into our hearts.
Today, Fr. Mike explains how to approach going to confession for the first time in a long time.
“Confession heals, confession justifies, confession grants pardon of sin. All hope consists in confession. In confession there is a chance for mercy. Believe it firmly, do not doubt, do not hesitate, never despair of the mercy of God.” — St. Isidore of Seville
Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates the Solemnity of Pentecost which is when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles. It’s also the birthday of the Church. Now, let me ask you a question. When did you first receive the Holy Spirit? At Baptism. Remember, when I baptize you, it is done in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When is the next time you receive the gift of the Holy Spirit? At Confession. After that? Holy Communion. Now, you may be thinking, “You also receive the Holy Spirit at Confirmation.” Yeah, you do. You receive Jesus, and you receive God the Father. That 3 in 1 and 1 in 3 thing. You receive the fullness of the Spirit. In each Sacrament, you receive the whole God.
The Sacraments are given for different purposes depending on your particular mission in the Body of Christ. At Baptism, you were given the gift of God Himself. In each Sacrament, you get the gift of the whole God…not just a slice of Him. You get the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Baptism, Christ asked for, and you, through your parents, gave Him your human nature. The human nature He took from Mary in the body He was born with, taught with, healed with, suffered with, and redeemed us with is now in Heaven. So, how does He continue His mission to teach, heal, and sanctify the world? It goes on through us by living a good Catholic life. In whatever part of the Body of Christ He has assigned us, we work for His glory and the salvation of souls. So, if you are in hell, you are a self- made man.
Christ takes our human nature at Baptism, so, we are part of His new body which is the Church. Each of us has a place in the body of Christ to do the work of bringing Him to the world. Through the gifts of the Holy Spirit, He helps us accomplish that mission. There are seven gifts (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord) and 12 fruits (charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, long-suffering, humility, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, and chastity). The whole purpose of giving us the Holy Spirit through the Sacraments is to bring God’s love to the world and to make that love manifest in whatever part of the Body we are in. The graces of the Holy Spirit strengthen us so that we can carry out that mission.
Part of my job as a priest is working at the veterans’ hospital in Hospice. Hospice is a part of the hospital where people who are very sick and in the last six months of their lives are cared for by specially trained doctors and nurses. They have all sorts of terrible diseases. We had one patient who had Progressive Supranuclear Palsy which is a rare disease that the patient contracted while working as a doctor in Vietnam. His brain turned into jelly, and there is no treatment. It’s so sad. The hospice staff try to make their patients as comfortable and pain-free as possible. A few years ago, there was a nice area with a kitchen and dining room where hospice patients could come out of their rooms and eat together. Other veterans from across the hospital would come down and have lunch with them. It was so much fun to laugh and talk with them. I would pick up trays and do whatever I could for them. You know what a sign of God’s love looks like? There was a hospice patient at the luncheon who couldn’t feed himself…he was that sick. Another man who, after this incident died about two weeks later, was also at the luncheon. But, instead of eating his own lunch, he spent that time feeding the patient who couldn’t feed himself. One would think that if you’re dying, it would be all about you. But, this is what God’s love looks like. This was an act of the Holy Spirit. The staff would have fed that patient, but he did it. He didn’t have to do it, but he wanted to. He made sure that man ate before he did. That is a sign of the Holy Spirit in action and God’s love is in the world.
Another thing they have done in Hospice, and hopefully will do again once COVID is over, is that when veterans are actively dying and don’t have family members there, volunteers come and sit with them all night and all day so that they don’t have to die alone. Usually, the veterans are very old and don’t have anybody. But, a veteran should never die alone. In the military, you never leave a fallen comrade. I’ve always thought that this is a sign of Christ, along with their guardian angel, being with them as they leave this life. You see the love of Christ in those volunteers. They don’t need to teach us…their actions teach us everything. It’s all through the promptings of the Holy Spirit who moves and works within us – not always the way want; otherwise, I’d be a monsignor!
I’ll tell you a story about the nursing staff. Don’t let this get back to them. World War II veterans are very old, and when they are nearing the time of their passing, all of the memories of what they had to do during the war come back. Mine will come back too when it’s my time. It’s just part of what we went through. It comes back for a lot of the men who saw combat. Many times, it was their wives who helped them keep it all together, and if their wives are no longer with them, it’s a real hardship for them. I remember this one man who was in his nineties and about to leave us asked the nurse if she would hold his hand until he fell asleep. The memories had come back, and his wife had done that for him. That’s not in any nurse’s job description. But, she sacrificed her own time to sit with that man while he faced his nightmares. I’ve sat with veterans as they were passing from this life…that’s what we do. We offer spontaneous acts of love. I’ve seen you do it. Your acts of generosity are acts of the Holy Spirit. You are showing Christ’s love. If you ask anyone why they do it, they would probably say that they don’t know, but it felt like the right thing to do. Do they get paid for it? No. It was just the right thing to do. These are the actions of the Holy Spirit using our human natures to show Christ’s love to the world. But, so that we can repeat these acts of love, we must be refreshed in the Holy Spirit by frequently participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion.
What is so beautiful about these acts of love is that you do it without thinking. It’s just a normal response. You don’t stop and think about what you should or shouldn’t do…you just do it. That’s the action of the Holy Spirit letting the Spirit work in you to bring the love of Christ to the world. And, believe it or not, someone will see and be taught God’s word simply through your acts of love
How will you apply this message to your life? Refresh yourself in the Holy Spirit by frequently participating in the Sacrament of Penance and Holy Communion
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to https://annunciationcatholicalbemarle.com/ and clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.” From a cell phone, click on “Blog” then “Menu” and then “Categories” (located at the end of page). There is also a search box if you are looking for a specific topic.
“Many Christians regard Confession in the light of an unimportant act of piety, if not mere ceremony . . . many go even frequently to Confession, but so few amend, and consequently derive little or no benefit from the Sacrament. … Be, then, most thoroughly convinced of the immense importance of this Sacrament, and be filled with an earnest desire of approaching it worthily, bestowing the utmost care and attention upon your preparation for this great duty, if you desire to obtain eternal salvation. Confession is one of the seven Sacraments instituted by Christ; it is called the Sacrament of Penance, and by its means alone can he who has committed mortal sin after Baptism hope to save his soul; therefore it is called by the holy Council of Trent: the second plank after shipwreck. In this Sacrament Jesus Christ has deposited His Precious Blood, that it may be to our souls as a salutary bath wherein they may be cleansed from all the stains of sin, their wounds closed, their maladies cured, their weakness strengthened, and grace unto salvation imported to them. This Divine Blood is dispensed to us by the priest in the holy absolution, and is abundantly poured forth upon all souls approaching the tribunal of confession with proper dispositions.” — Fr. Ignatius of the Side of Jesus, p. 284-5
Going to Confession is one of the greatest sources of grace available to us in our Catholic faith. In this Sacrament, the Holy Spirit continues to work in us through conversion and forgiveness. We are enabled to grow in self-knowledge and humility. We begin to see our selfish habits with greater clarity, making it possible for us to correct them and root out sin. We purify our consciences, strengthen our wills, receive the grace to resist temptation, and advance in the spiritual life.
For these reasons—and many others—the Catholic Church takes this sacrament very seriously. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) asks faithful Catholics in the United States to go to Confession at least once during Lent and once during Advent, but good priests and spiritual directors recommend a minimum of once a month. If we only go to Confession once a year (or less!) we will miss out on profound graces, and lose track of many transgressions—making it harder for us to recognize our patterns of sin.
The saints, of course, recommended frequent confession. St. Francis de Sales, St. John Vianney, St. Padre Pio, and Pope St. John Paul II are among those who suggested going as often as possible. Pope St. John Paul II and St. Padre Pio went at least weekly to confession.
Even if a room is closed, it is necessary to dust it after a week.
St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina
Jesus spoke candidly to St. Faustina about Confession. She recorded His words in her Diary, and we’d like to share some of His words with you. These are comforting and beautiful words from Christ about the significance of Confession in the Catholic life. You can find them all in The Diary of St. Faustina: Divine Mercy in My Soul.
What Jesus told St. Faustina About Confession
Tell souls where they are to look for solace; that is, in the Tribunal of Mercy (the Sacrament of Confession). There the greatest miracles take place [and] are incessantly repeated. To avail oneself of this miracle, it is not necessary to go on a great pilgrimage or to carry out some external ceremony; it suffices to come with faith to the feet of My representative and to reveal to him one’s misery, and the miracle of Divine Mercy will be fully demonstrated. Were a soul like a decaying corpse so that from a human standpoint, there would be no [hope of] restoration and everything would already be lost, it is not so with God. The miracle of Divine Mercy restores that soul in full. Oh, how miserable are those who do not take advantage of the miracle of God’s mercy! You will call out in vain, but it will be too late.
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1448)
Daughter, when you go to confession, to this fountain of My mercy, the Blood and Water which came forth from My Heart always flows down upon your soul and ennobles it. Every time you go to confession, immerse yourself in My mercy, with great trust, so that I may pour the bounty of My grace upon your soul. When you approach the confessional, know this, that I Myself am waiting there for you. I am only hidden by the priest, but I myself act in your soul. Here the misery of the soul meets the God of mercy. Tell souls that from this fount of mercy souls draw graces solely with the vessel of trust. If their trust is great, there is no limit to My generosity. The torrents of grace inundate humble souls. The proud remain always in poverty and misery, because My grace turns away from them to humble souls.
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1602)
My daughter, just as you prepare in My presence, so also you make your confession before Me. The person of the priest is, for Me, only a screen. Never analyse what sort of a priest it is that I am making use of; open your soul in confession as you would to Me, and I will fill it with My light.
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1725)
The flames of mercy are burning me. I desire to pour them out upon human souls. Oh, what pain they cause Me when they do not want to accept them!
Jesus to St. Faustina (Diary, 1074)
So, Why Do We Still Need Reminding?
If each of us sat beneath a crucifix and meditated intently on the greatest act of mercy and love the world has ever known we would, perhaps, run straight to Confession. Not out of fear of hell, but out of such great love for Jesus, who washed away our sins in His own blood.
But the world has always pulled away from the cross. Meditating on the Crucified Redeemer is not common in the world. It is not even something most people would seek to do or understand. Once again, as in ancient history, we have forsaken the cross—we have, like Adam and Eve, chosen the forbidden tree and its fruits.
We don’t want to be told “Thou shalt not.” We want to do as we please. The world has fully accommodated us by tempting us with great allure and then absolving us with all kinds of excuses.
Yet Holy Mother Church loves her children so completely that she wants us to abide by the moral absolutes given to us by God. The Church is the firm but quiet voice entreating us to resist the noise of the world. She invites us to Confession at least once a year, but we really should go more frequently. Making use of the sacrament regularly—monthly or even more often—is commonly recommended as a path to peace, healing, pardon, and spiritual growth.
Persisting in sin and not working to eradicate it from our lives removes us from the Merciful Heart of God, which is our true home. It also separates us from communion with the Body of Christ. But the rays of His Divine Mercy call us back to His Heart and to communion with one another. We return there by way of the Confessional.
Concluding Thoughts
In the Diary of St. Faustina, Jesus implores sinners to come to the font of His mercy, so that He might pour out unimaginable graces upon us all. Through His Passion, Christ brought redemption to a fallen world. Through the healing power of the Sacrament of Reconciliation, He brings it—over and over again—to your heart and mine.
Confession is important to our spiritual progress in any liturgical season or any season of our lives. It is especially powerful during Lent. Reconciliation and the Lenten season go hand-in-hand. Since Lent is a season of reflection and repentance, Confession is one of the greatest means to enter deeply into this penitential season.
In the wisdom of the Church, the season of Lent exists not only for reflection and repentance, but to build up the body of Christ in anticipation of Easter. What better way to enter into the true spirit of these forty days—and prepare for Easter—than by going to the cross in Confession, casting off our sins, and rising again with Christ?
The Confession, by Giuseppe Molteni, 1838
Through the sacramental ministry of the Church, we receive the grace to be more like our Redeemer. Make it a priority to go to Jesus in Confession regularly. Ask for the forgiveness He wants to give so generously. Receive His merciful and unconditional love. Restore your bond with the Lord, the Body of Christ, and the Church.
Be healed and set free, to rise again in Him.
A Prayer for the Courage to Return to Confession
Lord, You know how much I need You. You know my sinful nature and my weaknesses. You know my sincere but imperfect desire to love You and others better. I know that I cannot return to the grace of God except through You and Your sacrifice on the Cross, and through the font of grace that is Confession.
In Your Passion, You did not put limits on Your love. Help me to give You everything, even the ugliness of my sins, as I return to You in Confession. Help me never to despair because Your Divine Mercy and Your infinite love are my greatest hope and treasure. Help me see this as an opportunity to love You, grow in my love for You, and offer all my love to You.
I place my trust in Your infinite love and mercy, and I ask You for the courage to help me return to the Sacrament of Confession. Jesus, I trust in You. Amen.
