“𝐁𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧, 𝐰𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝.“ - 𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 32:1

I recall the first time I returned to the Sacrament of Reconciliation as an adult. It was October 2013. I was last in the confessional line, and I had made it in time just before the Friday morning Mass was to begin.

When Jesus broke into my life, he first moved my intellect to seek Truth. Then, He softened my heart. I had been wrestling with God for about a year. I had been indifferent to God and I was a child of this world. But, through different people and situations God led me to study His plan for me through the Scriptures. I hungered for God and to be restored in Him.

By this point in my life, I had accepted Jesus words, “𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐡𝐨 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐡 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐈 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐢𝐦 𝐮𝐩 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐚𝐲“ (𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 6:54) I wanted Jesus’ life in me. I knew that I needed Him. I was afflicted; and hungered for food that would not perish, but endured to eternal life.

But it wasn’t that easy. I needed to repent. I read what St. Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 11, “𝐖𝐡𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞, 𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐧 𝐮𝐧𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐲 𝐦𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐚𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝“(𝘷 27). The last time I had gone to confession was as a junior in high school for Confirmation, and I did not remember how that went. I know I “repented” from time to time as a young adult. Often in negotiation with God. Sometimes authentic, but without roots in good soil.

God allowed me to begin feeling the weight and burden of my sins. “𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐈 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐲 𝐬𝐢𝐧, 𝐦𝐲 𝐛𝐨𝐝𝐲 𝐰𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐰𝐚𝐲... 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐲 𝐮𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐞“ (𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 32:3-4).

And, at the same time God stirred up in me a heart of repentance. “𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐮𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟, 𝐎 𝐋𝐨𝐫𝐝, 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐛𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝!“ - 𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 5:21

I had learned that Jesus came with the authority to forgive sins (𝘔t 9:6), and that He died for our sins (1 𝘊𝘰𝘳 15:3). Then, Jesus appeared to Peter and then the Twelve, and said to them, “𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐲𝐨𝐮. 𝐀𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐦𝐞, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐬𝐨 𝐈 𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮.“ 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐡𝐞𝐧 𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐚𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬, 𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦, “𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐇𝐨𝐥𝐲 𝐒𝐩𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐭. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧; 𝐢𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐧𝐲, 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐝.“ (𝘑𝘰𝘩𝘯 20:21-23).

I had prepared. I found a good guide to help me examine my conscience. Most importantly, I prayed for the Holy Spirit to bring to my mind all that I needed to confess and to grant me the grace of repentance. I remember making a note for myself to help me remember. Just number (if I could even remember) and kind. The particulars beyond that aren’t necessary. As I confessed, I began to feel lighter… free from burden.

Then, I heard the words of absolution: “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.“

The invisible mercy of God was made visible to me through the physical ministry of Jesus’s Church.

I was restored — enveloped in His Divine Mercy. I confessed my transgressions to the Lord and He forgave the guilt of my sins (cf 𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 32:5). I received the Holy Eucharist and I was satisfied. I still remember the simple penance assigned to me by the priest… prayerfully read Matthew Chapter 5.

Burden was transformed into Communion.

If you hunger for Him — truly hunger — do not remain at a distance.

Encounter His mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

“𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐟𝐟𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐛𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝.“ - 𝘗𝘴𝘢𝘭𝘮 22:26

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church Reconciliation Times:

Saturday at 3:30-4:15 p.m.
Monday, Wednesday thru Friday at 7:40 a.m. or by appoint