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‘Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven Is at Hand’:
the Season of Lent and the Sacrament of Reconciliation

By Bishop Edward K. Braxton

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Jesus Christ,
The green leaves of our Christmas poinsettias reminded us of the youthfulness of Jesus and the red leaves recalled His blood shed for our salvation. This year the transition from Christmas to the Season of Lent has been swift. With the celebration of Ash Wednesday, on Feb. 6, 2008, we once again enter into a time of spiritual renewal in the Church. It is a time when we give special attention to prayer, assisting those in need, and make efforts to purify our hearts.

We are abstemious in the use of food and drink, eating simple meals and abstaining from meat on Fridays. We go out of our way to assist those in need by giving alms. We “give up” something during Lent to remind us to “give up” sin and “give in” to Christ’s love. We devote ourselves in a special way to prayer for our catechumens and candidates for full communion with the Catholic Church, who are preparing to receive the Easter sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

We pray as well for our young people who are to be confirmed during the season of Easter and Pentecost. We participate in familiar devotions such as the Stations of the Cross and the Rosary and we reflect on the Word of God in Scripture discussion groups. We find moments for quiet time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament to be alone with Jesus.

We do all of these things in order to better prepare to go up to Jerusalem with the Lord during Holy Week. In the celebration of the Sacred Triduum of Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Vigil, we encounter anew the great mystery of our Redemption, the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Lent is the great opportunity for each of us to be reminded of the abundance of God’s Divine Mercy and Love. It is a time when the Church calls us with special clarity to partake in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Recently, I visited with a group of children who were preparing for their First Confession, the first time they would receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. They were looking forward to it; but they had a few questions.

One asked, “How do you know when something is a sin that must be confessed? Is it a sin if I throw away the egg salad sandwich my mother made for my lunch and buy a cheeseburger with the money my grandfather gave me?” I responded that a sin is something that you know in your heart is wrong, something you should not do, something that will hurt others, hurt yourself, and offend God, and yet you do it anyway. If you tell your parents that your brother or sister did something wrong and you know you are not telling the truth, and you do not say anything when they are being punished, that could well be a sin.

Another asked, “Why can’t I just tell God I’m sorry for my sins and skip the part about telling my sins to the priest? That way there is no risk that the priest will accidentally tell my parents about my sins.” I told her that God is very close to us and knows us better than we know ourselves. He knows our sins and He knows when we are truly sorry. It is always possible to prayerfully tell God of our sorrow for our sins and seek forgiveness without going to Confession.

However, in the Sacrament of Reconciliation, Jesus has given us a very special gift. The Sacrament is a wonderful fountain of God’s love. When we humbly express our sorrow for our sins to the priest, we are acknowledging that our sins have offended God and hurt our sisters and brothers in the Church.

Confessions also help us to participate in the Mass and receive the Body and Blood of Christ more worthily. We believe that in this Sacrament God gives of the grace we need when we try not to sin any more. All priests are bound by the “Seal of Confession.” They may never repeat anything they hear in confession to anyone.

One little boy wondered, “Do priests commit sins and go to Confession like everyone else? How often do they go to Confession?” I assured him that we, who are priests, like everyone else (parents, grandparents, religious sisters, deacons, bishops, the pope, and even saints), are capable of doing things that we know are wrong. We can all sin. It is because we are all redeemed sinners that we are so grateful for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In this Sacrament God welcomes us back home like the Prodigal Son (Cf. Luke, 15:11-32) when we express true sorrow and pray for the strength to sin no more. This is why we can think of Reconciliation as the sacrament of healing and joy.

How often do priests and other Catholics go to Confession? I explained that the answer is different for each person. Some go every two or three months, others, every two weeks, or once a week. It depends upon what is going on in their spiritual journey. Someone may be struggling with a very serious problem and go to Confession every day for a period of time. The Church urges everyone to go to Confession at least once a year, during the Easter season. Unfortunately, there are some Catholics who almost never go to Confession. The Sacrament of Reconciliation is not reserved for very serious or mortal sins. It is a prayer that can be a regular part of your spiritual life, even if you are not aware of any serious sins.

I share this dialogue with the children about Confession with you because it was instructive to me and it might be helpful to you as well. During Lent we all ponder the meaning of our lives and our deaths in the shadow of the Cross of Christ. When we receive the ashes from burned palms we hear the words, “Remember that you are dust and unto dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe the Good News” deep within our hearts. In the Gospel of Matthew, after John the Baptist is arrested, Jesus Himself takes up John’s words and makes them the summary of his preaching. “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” (Cf. Matthew, 3:2, 4:17) In that same passage of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus calls the fishermen, Simon Peter, his brother, Andrew, and James and John, the sons of Zebedee, to be His disciples. “Come follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Cf. Matthew 4: 19-20) We are told that “at once,” “immediately” they dropped their nets, their boats, and followed Him, even leaving behind Zebedee, the father of two of them.

This dramatic and instantaneous response to the call of Christ suggests that in the very act of calling the disciples there is a simultaneous call to conversion and repentance. It is only because of this repentance, this sorrow for sins, that it is possible for the four fishermen to follow Christ so whole heartedly. This Gospel story of call and response reminds us we should not judging others. Instead, we should recall that God will judge us.
During the days of Lent every Christian is called into the desert of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving; called to hear the voice of Christ speaking to each one individually, “Repent, the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand!” We are summoned by Christ, “Come, follow me!” It is the Sacrament of Reconciliation that helps us respond immediately and at once. Every parish offers special Penance Services during Lent. Our priests make themselves available for this Sacrament more than ever at this time. I invite and encourage every member of the Diocese to receive this powerful Sacrament during these days of renewal. Be assured that I will be joining you in partaking of this grace-filled Sacrament. If you are one of those who have not participated in this Sacrament of healing, joy, and homecoming in a long time, why not make this your year?

You can be sure that the priest will welcome you with open arms and that Christ will embrace you with a heart overflowing with forgiving love.

One of the best ways to prepare for the unspeakable joy of the Eater Alleluia is meditate on these words, “May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive our sins and bring us to life everlasting. AMEN.”