Why Confession? Maybe the better question is Confession, why not?

Why Confession?

First of all what is the Sacrament of Confession? The Shadow Priest from Real Catholic TV gives a short seventeen minute Cliffs Notes version.
But after listening there are still so many questions. Maybe now isn't the time to have all the answers. We are all sinners, and Jesus doesn't want us to beat ourselves up over our sins. Which is precisely  why Jesus gave the Apostles and their successors the Sacrament of Confession and the beautiful words of absolution, "Go in peace your sins are forgiven."

After His resurrection Jesus appeared to the Apostles and said, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained." (John 20:21-23)

Don’t Beat Yourself Up
 Fr. Kubicki S.J.

How does one prepare for the Sacrament of Confession?  A good examination of conscience and guidance from the Holy Spirit.

Come, Holy Spirit,
fill my heart with Your holy gifts.

Let my weakness be penetrated with
Your strength this very
day that I may fulfill
all the duties of my state conscientiously,
that I may do what
is right and just.

Let my charity be such as to offend no one,
and hurt no one's feelings;
so generous as to pardon sincerely
any wrong done to me.

Assist me, O Holy Spirit,
in all my trials of life,
enlighten me in my ignorance,
advise me in my doubts,
strengthen me in my weakness,
help me in all my needs,
protect me in temptations and
console me in afflictions.

Graciously hear me, O Holy Spirit,
and pour Your light into my heart,
my soul, and my mind.
Assist me to live a holy life and to
grow in goodness and grace.

Amen.

Examine your conscience by going over the Ten suggestions, Commandments. My weakness, my greatest difficulties lie with the fifth commandment that whole murder, anger, resentment, hate thing?  My children will ask me when I leave for confession, "Mom are you going to have to confess you murdered someone again?" "Yes," I answer knowing I need to get that monkey off my back yet again and start over with the grace of God.  It is hard for me to articulate all that the fifth commandment encompasses but the Shadow Priest has given a short Cliffs Notes examination of  each Commandment, links are listed at the end of this article. There is far more to each command of God when one further examines them in depth.

Now I know that this "Mystery Priest" may seem a bit harsh at times but look at it this way. What would you think of a doctor who cared nothing about disease one who didn’t want to talk about disease let alone treat it? A doctor who didn’t care a bit about your physical health. Or a doctor afraid to tell you the truth because he didn't want to alarm you. Suppose your symptoms were clearly that of a dangerous disease, but your doctor  concealed from you the true nature of your illness. What would you think of a doctor like that?

Now, what would you call a priest who doesn’t care enough to speak out against sin? To educate or remind his parishoners what sin is and how it separates us from God's grace, food and sustenance for our soul.  What would you call this physician of the soul who will not deal with the one thing that can kill the life of grace in the soul? Mortal sin. If you die from an illness because your doctor was negligent, you loose physical life. If a priest fails to speak out against sin you may well lose your immortal soul. Maybe the Shadow Priest is doing us a favor.

I find it incredible that priests, who speak out in truth, are labeled as ridged or insensitive. While ones who maintain a culpable silence, the ones who tell us only what they think we want to hear are esteemed as being understanding, sympathetic, or merciful.

We are all in need of reconciliation with God, even Blessed Mother Teresa went to confession.  Unless we can say that we are sinless we will slip into habits of sin.  The Sacrament of Confession gives us the grace to break some of those habits and get the "monkey off our back."

Habits of Sin Fr.James Kubicki S.J.

Never underestimate the psychological, emotional, and spiritual benefits of this sacrament. When I leave the confessional I feel as if a heavy weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  My heart and soul feel free from the pain of guilt.  Jesus left us this sacrament because he knew that sin and guilt can tear the human soul apart, drive a person to depression and despair, and rob them of inner peace and joy. The joy that comes with having a clear conscious before God. There is something about the human person that needs to be very much at peace with God. This sacrament allows us to wipe the slate clean, start over and receive God’s grace to avoid the same sins again.

After one receives absolution, why do they need to do penance? The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains it this way in paragraph #1459 "Many sins wrong our neighbor.  One must do what is possible in order to repair the harm (e.g., return stolen goods, restore the reputation of someone slandered, pay compensation for injuries)....But sin also injures and weakens the sinner himself, as well as his relationships with God and neighbor.  Absolution takes away sin, but it does not remedy all the disorders sin has caused.  Raised up from sin, the sinner must still recover his full spiritual health by doing something more to make amends for the sin:  he must "make satisfaction for" or "expiate" his sins.  This satisfaction is also called penance."

Sharing in Jesus’ Joy
 

When you have confessed your sins to the best of your ability, to the best of your memory, not holding anything back deliberately, if you hold even one mortal sin back deliberately you have an invalid absolution.  If you are truly sorry for all of your sins and have a firm purpose of amendment to try and not commit those sins again, you leave the confessional with confident assurance of God’s mercy and complete forgiveness. Even the sins you have forgotten to confess are forgiven. So long as you have a contrite heart – God sees the disposition of the heart.

Why Confession?  Maybe the better question is Confession, why not?

Examination of Conscience
The Shadow Priest Real Catholic TV   

1.  I am the Lord, You God, You shall have no other gods before Me.
2.  You shall not take the name of the Lord in vain.
3.  Remember to keep holy the Lord's day.
4.  Honor your Father and Mother.
5.  You shall not kill.
6.  You shall not commit adultery. Part 1 and Part 2
7.  You shall not steal.
8.  You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.
9.  You shall not covet your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods. 

Lent Day 13 - Another Day in the Desert - What would you do with an inheritance of millions?

Saint Katharine Drexal

Feast Day March 3

Saint Katharine was born into the wealthy family of Francis Anthony and Emma (Douvier) Drexel in 1858. Her parents, entrepreneurs and philanthropists, taught her and her sisters to use their wealth and talents for the benefit of others. Following the example of her parents, and taking an early interest in the well-being of African Americans and Native Americans, Saint Katharine donated her wealth, time and talents, starting schools, and missions dedicated to their education.

In 1887 she asked Pope Leo XIII to send more missionaries to help her causes, and the pope replied “Why don’t you become a missionary?” Four years later, Saint Katharine founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament for Indians and Colored, now known as Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

By 1942 she had organized a system of Black Catholic schools in 13 states, 40 mission centers, 23 rural schools, 50 Indian missions, and the first Black Catholic University in the United States, Xavier University in New Orleans, Louisiana. By the time of her death March 3, 1955, there were 500 Sisters teaching in 63 schools throughout the United States. Pope JP II canonized Saint Katharine Drexal in 2000 where she became the second recognized American-born saint.

Saint Katharine Drexal, pray for us.

Apostleship of Prayer

Fr. James Kubicki, S.J

What Would You Do?

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Sources
http://saints.sqpn.com/saint-katharine-drexel/
http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=193

What is the meaning of my life? Why did God make me?

Earlier this year I offered Five Reasons to Believe God Exists Using Logic and Philosophy so the premise here will be God exists. Now since God exists, why did He make me, why am I here? This may be the million dollar question, or in 2010, the trillion dollar question. Whatever the value, it is a question worth pondering some time during Lent or at some point in my earthly existence.

As a deist I might believe one of these; God made me and left me on my own to make of my life what I want, or God made me and left me on my own to make my life the best version of my life that it can be, or God made me and left me on my own to make a difference in the world. I know what I want, what is best for me and for everyone else.

As a theist I might believe; God made me, has a purpose for me, knows what is best for me, He never leaves me, wants me to be the best version of myself, to make a difference in this world, and live with Him in heaven for all eternity.

Which will it be my will or God’s? If it is my will, my God is real but remote, like a clockmaker, initiating the universe, setting it in motion then leaving it to run itself. Basically breathing life into my soul and then sitting back to watch my life unfold on a 2000 foot plasma HD TV.

If I choose God’s will for me, my God is real but present, like a loving parent or spouse, interested, involved and ready to guide. Which one is the True God? Or rather, which one do I want to believe in? Would I rather He be attentive or absent? Concerned or disinterested? Engaged or bored? Or a bit of both?

Why did God make me? Well for one thing, God does not need me. He is perfectly happy within himself and needs nothing. I have to say, I think like that at times. I don’t need anyone; I can do it by myself, I know what is best (internal monologue, “I am god”). But God is perfect, omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), omnipresent (present everywhere) and I’m not any of those things.

If God does not need me, why am I here? Why are any of us here? Could it be that God, the creator of the universe, loved each and every one of us into existence?

What is love? Thomas Aquinas said that “love is willing the good for the other as other.” Basically wanting what is best for the other above our own needs.

Can I be frank? Sometimes I hear about one of my friends succeeding and I think, – I could do that, wait I did do that, why didn’t I get the praise? Instead of loving for the good of the other as other, I see my friend as a threat, because if they are getting something, (money, power, pleasure, or esteem) I’m not. Am I loving you for your good, or for what I can get from you, which is actually indirect egotism.

Time for more honesty, on my own, I am incapable of loving for the good of the other as other, because I am more concerned about myself. But with God’s grace, His guidance and Wisdom I am capable of loving and wanting the best for the other at whatever the cost to me. That is Good News.

Want more Good News? God loved us all into existence and wants only our happiness. Really, don’t we all yearn to be happy? Our God in His Wisdom, placed the desire to be happy with Him upon our hearts at the creation of our soul. Kind of like an eternal homing device. Brilliant, after all He is omniscient. He created us, with free will I might add, sent us out into the world, knowing that at some point this need, craving, longing for true happiness would become so strong that nothing of this world would quench the thirst for happiness and we would be led back to Him.

God’s dream, all He wants is for us is to be the best version of our self, the person He created. God is not self-interested; He won’t take advantage of us, nor will He manipulative us. All He wants is for us to be happy and fully alive. Really, God does not need us. But, he desires us so much that He sacrificed His only Son so that we could be with Him for all eternity.

If He doesn’t need us, yet desires a deep intimate relationship with each of us, why create us with free will? Wouldn't it be easy just to manipulate us into loving Him? Yes, but He does not manipulate, He loves us far too much. Think of it this way, would you ask someone to marry you while holding a gun to their head? You will never know if they said yes because they truly loved you or feared you. Fear is quite the opposite of love.

So if God doesn’t need us, why did he love us into being? St. Bonaventure explains that God created all things “not to increase his glory, but to show it forth and to communicate it, for God has no other reason for creating than his love and goodness. “ St. Thomas Aquinas puts it this way, “Creatures came into existence when the key of love opened his hand.”

The Catechism of the Catholic Church in paragraph 358 and 301 states “God created everything for man, but man in turn was created to serve and love God and to offer all creation back to him.” “With creation, God does not abandon his creatures to themselves. He not only gives them being and existence, but also, and at every moment, upholds and sustains them in being, enables them to and brings them to their final end. Recognizing this utter dependence with respect to the Creator is a source of wisdom and freedom, of joy and confidence.” God’s breath gives us life, and may be taken away at His discretion.

What is the meaning of my life, why did God make me? God made me to know, love and serve Him and to be happy with Him forever in heaven. This leads me, on a great adventure, with endless possibilities, and no worries. For no matter what blessings, joys, challenges, or sorrows come my way; I have God, His truth, wisdom and love to guide me.

Thank you God for giving me life, I freely choose you as my partner. I ask you to give me the grace to follow you and do your will daily. All praise and all thanksgiving goes to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.” Matthew 11:28-30

“For you love all things that are, and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it; or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? But you spare all things, because they are yours, O Lord and lover of souls.” Wisdom 11:24-26

“Father, if you will, take this cup away from me; still, not my will but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

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Art
The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci

The Second Sunday of Lent - The Transfiguration

The Second Sunday of Lent

The Transfiguration

February 28, 2010
February 24, 2013
February 21, 2016

“When Jesus went up the mountain
he was immersed in contemplation
of the loving plan  of the Father,
who had sent him into
the world to save humanity.”
Pope Benedict XVI

Why did God make us? Those who remember the Baltimore Catechism will quickly respond, “God made us to know, love and serve Him and to be happy with Him forever in heaven .” Our ultimate destination is Heaven.

Every year on the second Sunday of Lent, the Gospel reading is the Transfiguration of our Lord on Mount Tabor (Luke 9:28-36, Mark 9:2-10, Matthew 17:1-9). As a Catholic, we believe that if we remain faithful, what happened to Jesus in the Transfiguration will happen to us one day.  This episode from the life of Christ gives of a foretaste of Christ's glory as well as our own, as He promised that He "will change our lowly body to conform with his glorified body." (Philippians 3:21) 

The Transfiguration takes place high on Mount Tabor.  Here Jesus reveals to Peter, James and John his glorfied body clothed in "dazzling white." (Luke 9:29)

Moses and Elijah appear with our Lord signifying that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah).  In this event we also see a resemblance to Moses' encounter with God on Mount Sinai in Exodus 24.

At the Transfiguration Jesus presents Himself as the new Moses. But He will not lead us the way Abraham was promised to lead, to a physical promised land, as in our first reading from Genesis 15:18.  By Jesus' death and resurrection, Jesus leads His Church on a new Exodus, this time freedom from the slavery of sin and death.   His saving act on the cross leads us to a heavenly citizenship, the one Saint Paul describes in our second reading from Philippians.  "Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we also await a savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." (Philippians 3:20)

At the Transfiguration, "a cloud came and cast a shadow over them...from the cloud came a voice that said, "This is my chosen Son; listen to him."" (Luke 9:34-35)  God the Father's voice gives His confirmation upon Jesus and instructs Peter, James and John, it instructs all of us, to listen to Jesus and obey him. 

As Christians we have a duel citizenship, so to speak, we are citizens of the world for a time, but our ultimate goal is to be citizens of heaven.  Lent is a time to pray for fortitude to "stand firm" (Philippians 4:1) while we wait.  Wait with confidence that Our Lord will compete the work He has begun in each of us.  Wait for that time when we will be transfigured, such as Our Lord was Transfigured on Mount Tabor.  Wait in joyful hope for the time when our lowly bodies will be conformed to His glorified body and will live for all eternity as citizens of His Heavenly Kingdom.

As we wait, let us follow Jesus back down the mountain to our everyday lives where we continue to pray, listen, obey and follow.

Eye has not seen nor ear heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man, what things God has prepared for those who love him. (I Corinthians 2:9)

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Art
The Transfiguration of Christ by Bellini