Consider This… Day of Mercy
This week, Tuesday and Wednesday, we will be hosting another Day of Mercy with the Sacrament of Reconciliation and Eucharistic Adoration available in the Church around the clock for a full 24 hours. I want to share with you how impressed I am with your response to this opportunity over these last couple of years and how popular this has become. There is so much grace that is flowing on these days from the Lord - it seems like there is always someone praying before the blessed sacrament, always in line for confession, even in the earliest hours of the morning! And furthermore, I want you to know that when one presents themselves for the Sacrament of Reconciliation and confesses their sins, owning up to their mistakes and failings with the disappointment and shame they feel, and they come forward to surrender these things to the Lord in the sacrament, it is a source of pride for me as a Confessor and as a ‘spiritual father’ when my ‘kids’ show such courage and a willingness to grow and is a sign of their maturity and hope (as I’m sure is the case for any parent who has heard the ‘confessions’ of their children). Keep up the good work! Keep praying! Keep growing! Keep that door open to God’s grace for your life!
This time around, we are also including here a mini-mission series on the Sacraments of Healing, as is apropos for the season of Lent and for a time frame in which we are intentionally making the space to celebrate the mercy of God. On Tuesday Night at 7pm, to kick off the Day of Mercy, we will be celebrating a Communal Penance Service with a Talk on the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I would like to share some insights into the dynamic of reconciliation, my own witness to the grace of the sacrament, some practical tips for apologizing and understanding what we are saying, and how the Sacrament of Reconciliation accomplishes such healing for us, serving as a model for our lives as a whole.
The International Commission on English in the Liturgy has just updated the translation to the Order of Penance in the Church (just as it did for the words of Mass back in 2010) which goes into effect this Spring. I want to put you at ease – this affects the priests more so and, luckily for the Penitents, your part is unchanged. Much of the Rite itself still asks you to pray “in these or in similar words.” So, on your part, there is actually a good deal of openness to say what you have to say to make it meaningful and to open up yourself to God’s mercy. We’ll discuss this during the talk on Tuesday to help us review how to go to Confession and the prayers that are used. There is also a Frequently Asked Questions sheet as well as other resources just outside the confessional for your assistance. As always, if you are ever not sure what to say, the priest confessor is there to help you out. Just ask.
Then on Wednesday Night at 7pm to close our Day of Mercy, there will be a Healing Mass, in which we will also celebrate the Sacrament of Anointing of the Sick. We know that sickness wreaks havoc on our lives, not just physically, but emotionally, financially, spiritually. The homily will help us to focus on the graces of this sacrament for all of us who are ill, knowing the compassionate grace of God that is at hand, walking with us in such moments, loving us through these things.
We’re looking forward to sharing this Day of Mercy with you. Come join us and experience God’s mercy for yourself. Come home and encounter Christ.