CONFESSION
On the 2nd Sunday of Advent, in the Gospel, we saw the image of people going to St. John the Baptist to be Baptized in the Jordan and they were confessing their sins. In my homily, I spoke about the tension in our hearts regarding Confession- to want to confess our sins but to be afraid of confessing them. Saint John Henry Newman put this very eloquently in his Lectures of the Present Position of Catholics in England (1851):
“How many are the souls, in distress, anxiety or loneliness, whose one need is to find a being to whom they can pour out their feelings unheard by the world? Tell them out they must; they cannot tell them out to those whom they see every hour. They want to tell them and not to tell them; and they want to tell them out, yet be as if they be not told; they wish to tell them to one who is strong enough to bear them, yet not too strong to despise them; they wish to tell them to one who can at once advise and can sympathize with them; they wish to relieve themselves of a load, to gain a solace, to receive the assurance that there is one who thinks of them, and one to whom in thought they can recur, to whom they can betake themselves, if necessary, from time to time, while they are in world” ( Newman, John Henry. Lectures on the Present Position of Catholics in England. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1889. p. 351).
This week, the Archdiocese of Toronto is having their week of Reconciliation. Parishes in the Archdiocese will be making extra Confession times available. The schedule can be found on the Archdiocese webpage.
Some people know very well what to confess. Others find it difficult to know what to confess, or feel that they have nothing to confess. To assist you in Confession, in this week's bulletin, I have included an Examination of Conscience pamphlet. There are many such Examinations of Conscience available. Some are quite simple, while others are more thorough and detailed. If you do a web search of thorough examination of conscience pdf, you will find a variety of them. Some of these Examinations of Conscience are grouped around the 10 Commandments, while others are grouped around the 7 Capital sins. Some people may find these Examinations of Conscience refreshing, while others may find them disturbing or even offensive.
I leave you with this thought. Most people do not look forward to a thorough physical examination by the doctor. We are told that this good and beneficial for our health- but this doesn't make it easier or more enjoyable. However, it can be a life saver if serious illness is discovered early and is treated appropriately. Similarly, a through Examination of Conscience may not be easy or enjoyable, but may prove to be a Spiritual life saver as we stand before Christ our Lord, the Divine Physician, who heals us in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
