An audience with Pope Francis: Be "witnesses and heralds, joyful and strong, of the resurrection of the Lord"

The course offered this week by the Sacred Apostolic Penitentiary on the internal forum concluded this morning with a round table discussion on various questions submitted by the priests and transitional deacons in attendance. After all of the questions had been addressed we made our way - all six hundred or so of us - to the famed Bronze Doors of the Apostolic Palace and climbed several stairways until we arrived in the central loggia - the Hall of Blessings - above the main doors of the Basilica of St. Peter:

This was a hall in which I never thought I would find myself. It is the very hall where the Pope appears immediately after his election to the See of Peter, the same balcony from which he also gives his Urbi et Orbi addresses and blesses the faithful gathered below in St. Peter's Square:

The guards would not let us open the sheers.

At long last the Holy Father finally arrived - thirty-minutes late - and made his way up the aisle toward the chair prepared for him:

After Pope Francis greeted the Major Penitentiary, His Eminence Mauro Cardinal Piacenza, Cardinal Piacenza addressed a few words to the Holy Father who listened with, well, an expression on his face:

Following the Cardinal's brief remarks, His Holiness greeted him again:

Afterwards he returned to his chair and was handed the text of his address:

Here follows the text of the Holy Father's address, with my emphases:

Dear Brothers,

I welcome you on the occasion of the annual Course on the Internal Forum. I thank Cardinal Mauro Piacenza for the words with which he introduced our meeting.

For a quarter of a century the Apostolic Penitentiary, aware of the importance of this ministry, has offered, especially to new priests and deacons, the opportunity of this course, in order to contribute to the formation of good confessors. I thank you for this valuable service and I encourage you to take it forward with renewed commitment, building on experience gained and with skilful creativity, to always help the Church and confessors to better carry out the ministry of mercy, which is so important!

In this regard, I wish to offer a few thoughts.

First of all, the protagonist of the ministry of reconciliation is the Holy Spirit. The forgiveness that the Sacrament confers is the new life sent by the Risen Lord by means of His Spirit: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain, are retained” (Jn 20:22-23). Therefore, you are called to always be “men of the Holy Spirit,” witnesses and heralds, joyful and strong, of the resurrection of the Lord. This testimony is read on the face, is heard in the voice of the priest who administers with faith and with “unction” the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He welcomes penitents not with the attitude of a judge, not even with that of a simple man, but with the charity of God, with the love of a father who sees the son returning and goes to meet him, [with the love] of the shepherd who has found the lost sheep. The heart of the priest is a heart that knows how to be moved, not by sentimentality or mere emotion, but to the “tender mercy” [viscere di misericordia] of the Lord! If it is true that tradition points out the dual role of doctor and judge for confessors, we must never forget that as a doctor he is called to heal and as a judge, to absolve.

The second aspect: if Reconciliation transmits the new life of the Risen Lord and renews baptismal grace, then your task is to give it generously to others. To give this grace. A priest who does not attend to this part of his ministry, both in the amount of time spent and in the spiritual quality, is like a shepherd who does not take care of the sheep that were lost; he is like a father who forgets the lost son and neglects waiting for him. But mercy is the heart of the Gospel! Don’t forget this: mercy is the heart of the Gospel! It is the good news that God loves us, that He always loves the sinner, and with this love draws him to Himself and invites him to conversion. We must not forget that the faithful often have difficulty approaching the sacrament, whether for practical reasons, or because of the natural difficulty of confessing one’s sins to another person. For this reason it is necessary to work hard on ourselves, on our humanity, never to be an obstacle but always to favour drawing near to mercy and forgiveness. But many times it happens that a person comes and says, “I haven’t confessed for many years, I have this problem, I left Confession because I found a priest and he told me this,” and you see the imprudence, the lack of pastoral love, in what that person says. And they draw away, because of a bad experience in Confession. If there is this attitude of a father, that comes from the goodness of God, this would never happen.

And we must guard against two extremes: rigorism and laxism. Neither is good, because in reality they don’t take charge of the person of the penitent. Instead, mercy truly listens with the heart of God and wants to accompany the soul on the path of reconciliation. Confession is not a court of condemnation, but an experience of forgiveness and mercy!

Finally, we all know the difficulties often encountered in Confession. There are many reasons, both historical and spiritual. However, we know that the Lord wanted to give this immense gift to His Church, offering to the baptized the security of the Father's forgiveness. It is this: it is the security of the Father’s forgiveness. For this reason, it is very important that in every diocese and in the parish communities, particular care is taken of the celebration of this Sacrament of forgiveness and salvation. It’s good that in every parish the faithful know when they can find priests available: when there is fidelity, the fruits are seen. This is particularly true for the churches entrusted to religious Communities, which can ensure a constant presence of confessors.

To the Virgin, Mother of Mercy, we entrust the ministry of priests, and every Christian community, that they might always grow in understanding the value of the Sacrament of Penance. I entrust all of you to our Mother and I bless you from the heart.

At the conclusion of his address, Pope Francis blessed those of us present and made his way down the aisle again, greeting some of those along the rail, one of whom is a transitional deacon preparing for ordination to the priesthood later this year who brought his chalice hoping to be able to ask the Pope to bless it:

Much to all of our surprise, he was successful:

Pope Francis asked him when he would celebrate his first Mass and told him to celebrate as it were his first and last.

One the Holy Father left the Hall of Blessings, we made our back down the stairways and through a courtyard that offered an unexpected view of the basilica:

Before arriving again at the Bronze Doors, we found ourselves in another courtyard in which some of us watched a member of the Swiss Guard change a flag:

Once we were back in the piazza, we walked to a nearby restaurant and enjoyed a buon pranzo.

Procrastination and Penance

As technology makes life easier and enables to do things more quickly than before, a great many of us have become procrastinators.  Commenting on our tendency toward procrastination, Father Selvester wrote last week:

Even now if I have a presentation to prepare, or taxes to pay, or a memo to read or a meeting for which to prepare I seem to do it at the last possible minute. Well, that may be OK in the realm of temporalities but it shouldn't be that way with our spiritual lives.

These days of Lent are not given to us to simply sit idly by as we mindlessly abstain from meat on Fridays and from chocolate or coffee or whatnot through Easter.  These days are given to us, rather, to be strive for a deeper spirituality, to unite ourselves ever more closer with our Crucified Lord so that we might share more fully in the glorious joy of his Resurrection.

As Father Selvester rightly points out, " Lent is a time of many Penance Services with multiple priests visiting to hear Confessions. Lots of folks like these communal services because the visiting priests increase their chances of getting "Fr. Complete Stranger" for Confession."  Even so, he says, "despite all the opportunities to make a good Confession throughout the season of Lent I find each and every year that I am swamped with those wishing to confess at the last minute. Frequently, these people become indignant if they have to wait on a long line to go to Confession."

Please, don't procrastinate going to confession!  Imagine yourself to be something like a Chicago politician: Confess early, confess often.  But not so often as to say, "Bless me Father, for I have sinned.  My last confession was yesterday."  Unless, of course, you are in serious sin.

Father Valencheck a few days offered this reflection for our preparation for this Lenten penance:

You know, it’s Lent. Are you carrying around a load? You know – you don’t have to. Dump your load at confession. Too many people spend too much of their time carrying their stuff around – trying to find the best way to carry it – but no matter how much you may shield yourself from it, you’re still carrying around a bag of stuff. The confessionals are ready. You will enjoy the rest of your journey so much more if you get rid of your load now. Soon, the confessional lines will get longer and longer the closer we get to Easter. Relieve yourself now. Enjoy the freedom.

Why do I have to confess my sins to a priest?

This is, perhaps, one of most frequently asked questions of priests.  It is certainly the question I am most asked on retreats and before communal penance services.

It is also a question that was asked of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI when he visited the Rebibbia District Prison in Rome last December 18th.  Given this season of Lent and its emphasis on penance and reconciliation I thought I would give you the Pope's answer, but first the question posed to him by Gianni:

I was taught that the Lord sees and reads inside us.  I wonder why is absolution delegated to priests?  If I asked for it on my knees alone in my room, turning to the Lord, would he absolve me?  Or would it be another kind of absolution?  What would be the difference?

And now, the Pope's answer, transcribed from my print edition of the 21 December 2011 issue of L'Osservatore Romano, since the link is broken on the web site of the Holy See:

Yes, you are asking me an important and true question.  I would say two things.  The first: naturally, if you kneel down and with true love for God pray that God forgives you, he forgives you.  It has always been the teaching of the Church that one, with true repentance - that is not only in order to avoid punishment, difficulty, but for love of the good, for love of God - asks for forgiveness, he is pardoned by God.  This is the first part.  If I honestly know that I have done evil, and if love for goodness, a desire for goodness is reborn within me, repentance for not having responded to this love, and I ask forgiveness of God, who is the Good, he gives it to me.  But there is a second element: sin is not only a "personal", individual thing between myself and God.  Sin always has a social dimension, a horizontal one.  With my personal sin, even if perhaps no one knows it, I have damaged the communion of the Church, I have sullied humanity.  And therefore this social, horizontal dimension of sin requires that it be absolved also at the local level of the human community, of the community of the Church, almost physically.  Thus, this second dimension of sin, which is not only against God but concerns the community too, demands the Sacrament, and the Sacrament is the great gift in which through confession, we can free ourselves from this thing and we can really receive forgivness in the sense of a full readmission to the community of the living Church, of the Body of Christ.  And so, in this sense, the necessary absolution by the priest, the Sacrament, is not an imposition - let us say - on the limits of God's goodness, but, on the contrary, it is an expression of the goodness of God because it shows me concretely, in the communion of the Church, I have received pardon and can start anew.  Thus, I would say, hold on to these two dimensions: the vertical one, with God, and the horizontal one, with the community of the Church and humanity.  The absolution of the priest, sacramental absolution, is necessary to really absolve me of this link with evil and to full reintegrate me into the will of God, into the vision of God, into his Church and to give me sacramental, almost bodily, certitude: God forgives me, he receives me into the community of his children.  I think that we must learn how to understand the Sacrament of Penance in this sense: as a possibility of finding again, almost physically, the goodness of the Lord, the certainty of reconciliation.

An examen for the elderly

Over at Adam's Ale, Fr. V. has an excellent post in which lists several questions the elderly might consider in preparing for confession.

From the mouths of babes

Last evening we had our Advent Penance Service at Sacred Heart Parish.

Three of my brother priests assisted me and each of us heard confessions for a solid 75 minutes each, without any lull; it was quite remarkable. I've no idea where so many penitents came from for such a small parish; I think we had more people present last night than we have parishioners! God be praised!

One of the moms in the parish told me that as she brought her family to the church last night she reviewed with her children how to go to confession and remarked that there would be different priests present that he might they not know.

One of her boys thought for moment and said, "I think I'll go to regular Father." She found it amusing that I didn't have a name, just "regular Father." It is amusing, but also quite profound.

At the altar and in the confessional the priest acts in persona Christi, in the person of Christ. In this way, he himself does not matter. When the action is done and words spoken the sacrament happens. He is just a "regular Father."

Homily - 6 December 2009

The Second Sunday of Advent (C)

Dear brother and sisters,

Over the past several weeks we have seen here an increase in the number of people attending Sunday Mass. I gladly welcome the return of so many - as I know you do as well – and with Saint Paul I pray “that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ” (Philippians 1:9-10).

It is this “day of Christ,” his glorious return at the end of time, for which Holy Mother Church seeks to prepare us through the observance of the season of Advent. She teaches us to be ever vigilant because we do not know the day or the hour of his return (cf. Matthew 24:36). How, then, do we best prepare ourselves to welcome the Lord when at last when he comes? We do so by heeding the cry of the Forerunner of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist, to “repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (Luke 3:3).

If we are to repent of our sins we must “discern what is of value” and what can be more valuable than the very reason for which we have gathered here today: the Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Saint Paul warns us sternly that we must receive the Eucharist in a worthy manner:

Whoever therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a man examine himself, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself (I Corinthians 11:27-29).

It is this admonition that tempers my joy at the return of so many with a deep sadness, for I fear that many who have returned after being away from the Holy Mass for so long have been receiving Holy Communion without first making a sincere sacramental confession.

We know that purposefully missing Mass on Sundays and holy days is mortally sinful and that receiving the Eucharist when not in the state of grace – as the Apostle instructs us – compounds the gravity of the situation with the sin of sacrilege.

This concerns me greatly. When I was appointed your pastor I was entrusted with the care of your souls and my chief duty is to do what I can to help you grow in holiness and lead you to heaven. I implore you most earnestly to examine your lives before receiving Holy Communion, lest you eat and drink judgment on yourself.

My brothers and sisters, this is a most serious situation and I urge you with all my heart to get to confession as soon as possible. I urge you to do so because “God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God” (Baruch 5:7). We must tear down the mountain of our pride, with the Lord’s help, that he might “remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy.”

In these holy days, as we prepare for the day the day when “all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (Luke 3:6), let us beg the Lord for the grace of true repentance that the words of the Psalmist might be fulfilled in us: “Although they go forth weeping, carrying the seed to be sown, they shall come back rejoicing, carrying their sheaves” (Psalm 126:6).

When we enter the confessional we enter carrying the seeds of our repentance, the tears of sorrow for having failed to return the love of the Lord Jesus Christ in neglecting the love of God and of neighbor. After our encounter with the Lord, the fruit of the seeds we have sown, we carry the sheaves of the grace and mercy of God.

Inside the confessional, the penitent soul “take[s] off [the] robe of mourning and misery” (Baruch 5:1) and the Lord purifies the baptismal garment, making it “white as snow” (Isaiah 1:18), and clothes the penitent with “the splendor of God” and “the glory of the eternal name” (Baruch 5:1, 2).

This great Sacrament commonly goes by three names: Confession, Penance and Reconciliation.

It is called confession because that is what happens. The penitent confesses the sins he or she has committed in kind and in number, as best as can recalled.

It is also called penance, because a penance is given to the penitent as a means of demonstrating sorrow for his or her sins and as way to try to make right what was made wrong, however large or small the penance may be.

This Sacrament is also – and more commonly in our day - called reconciliation because through it we are reconciled with God and with one another because the Lord himself removes what stands between us and him and each other. We are able to raise our eyes to God and to look each other in the eyes again because through the Sacrament the obstacles are taken away by the grace of God.

Let us examine ourselves in these holy days that we might be filled with the joy of the Lord and stand pure and blameless before him. Through our reception of the sacraments may he “teach us to judge wisely the things of earth and to love the things of heaven,” that when he comes again we may lift our eyes to him in joy and behold the power, the splendor and the loveliness of his face. Amen!

Too much of a production?

A priest-friend of mine e-mailed a request to help hear his second graders' First Confessions. The way in which he offered the invitation both made me laugh out loud and has given a bit of food for thought:

Nothing fancy… my focus on these things is not to make a big production for the second graders. We won’t do a big Liturgy of the Word with song-singing and a candlelighting/butterfly releasing event at the end… (Actually, releasing butterflies in January might be considered cruel.) I’ll just offer a good last-minute examination of conscience, review of the ritual, and get ‘em going. The idea is that this experience of the sacrament should be as normative as possible with respect to what they might experience on a Saturday afternoon-- all the parts and prayers (such as the Act of Contrition, etc) in tact.

I, too, am rather in favor of not releasing butterflies in January. The last thing we need is the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals coming after us.

I also share his conviction "that this experience of the sacrament should be as normative as possible."

Is a child's First Confession an important, holy and joyous day? Of course it is. But it should also be just the first of many confessions thorughout their lifetime. Does making a big to do of this day go against that principle by making their first confession so do different than their second confession? Or their 83rd?

I do not know, but I suspect it might. Compared to a child's first confession, his second might seem a rather a let down, a bit anti-climactic.

Singing cutesy songs after their first confession, giving paper hearts or flowers to mom and dad may be fun for the children and entertaining for adults (who are rightly proud of their children), but does not help prepare them for their next confession? Does it help instill within them a genuine love of the sacrament? Does it help them understand our need of the sacrament?

My penitents have told me that they like confessing to me because it is "easy." What they seem to mean is that I do not ask too many questions and I do not offer too much advice. I very clearly make a distinction between confession and spiritual direction. I only ask questions if I need more information to understand the nature of their sin, and I only offer words of counsel if I genuinely feel the penitent needs them. At the same time, I will hear confessions anywhere - on the soccer field, in the library, in a corner stairway, walking down the sidewalk, in the dining room and, of course, in the confessional itself. And all without any fanfare, just the rite in its simplicity and beauty.

I wonder if my priest-friend is on to something. Please feel free to discuss this in the combox, with charity, of course. You are free to disagree with me.

Reflections on confessions

There once was a time when I thought I would not want to hear the confessions of close friends. Most of us already know the major faults of our close friends, but to know those things which are between them and God seemed too much to bear. Such is no longer the case for me.

I am happy to know some of the high school students rather well and to count them as friends. I am certain these friendships will continue over the years, even after my coming move.

Over the past few days I have heard the confessions of a few of our students. When they want to go to confession they simply call or text me and we arrange a time. It is an easy and convenient system for all involved.

After going to confession recently, one of the students said to me, “I’m going to have a long way to go to confession when you move to Virden.”

I reminded the student that there are other priests who will be happy to hear a confession. The student answered, “But I like going to you; you make it easy and I always feel better afterwards.” “Well,” I said, “I’m sure I can meet you half-way.”

This conversation was deeply humbling. They are not afraid to seek out a priest whom they call a friend to confess their sins to; why should a priest, then, be hesitant to hear the confessions of his friends, young or old? Is this really not what friendship is about, leading one another closer to Jesus Christ and helping each other on the path of holiness? There is certainly no better way to help one another than this.

These students have taken to heart what I have so often told them. Time and again I have told them that when a priest enters the confessional he is given what we priests sometimes call “the grace of forgetfulness.”

We do not generally remember what people confess to us. We might recall what sins were named; we might recall who entered the confessional; but we are not always able to match the two. Really, who would want to? You enter the confessional to get rid of your sins; why would the priest want to keep them?

But even if we do happen to remember a person’s sins we are forbidden to treat them any differently after the confessional than before. How is this possible?

In human terms, it likely isn’t, except for the most noble of souls. In spiritual terms, though, it is not too difficult at all. Remember the grace of forgetfulness. I have found that when I do remember an individual person’s sin, I don’t remember it when I am with that person. I may remember the sin once the person has left my presence and then I offer a prayer for him or her. It is a wonderful gift!

Homily for High School Penance Service

High School Penance Service
John 12:20-26

As we consider this passage from Saint John’s Gospel, we might ask ourselves why some Greeks went up to the Jewish feast. They would not be able to participate fully in the feast, so why would they go?

I suspect those who worshipped the One God intrigued them, and they wanted to learn more about the God of Israel in the hopes of joining in their worship.

This naturally leads to the question of why we have come here today. It seems to me that there are two reasons why we have come. Some have come simply because they have to, or else face a possible suspension. Others have come because they realize that something in their lives is out of place, to one degree or another.

To those who have come simply because it is part of the school day, there is very little I can say, but those who have come with the recognition of their faults have come like those Greeks who said to Philip, “Sir, we wish to see Jesus” (John 12:21).

They have come because something is missing in their lives, be it peace, joy or contentment and satisfaction. Their hearts are ill at ease and because they have come seeking that which was lost they will find it. They shall find it in Jesus Christ, in him who is that grain of wheat who fell to the ground and died, in him who is waiting for them in the Sacrament of Penance (cf. John 12:24).

They recognize in the depths of their souls the truth of the words of Saint Augustine: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in you.”

As we meet him in this Sacrament we must make ourselves like a grain of wheat, willing to fall to the ground and die. We must be willing to die to our pride, which is the root of all our sins. We must humble ourselves before the Lord, sincerely confessing our sins in integrity of heart, that we might produce much fruit, the fruit of a life lived in faith, hope and love.

When the Greeks are brought to Jesus, he says to them, “The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified” (John 12:23). We know that his glorification took place precisely on the Cross, where he humbled himself and accepted death for our sins.

In the Sacrament of Penance the Lord wishes to share with us the fruits of his death and resurrection: the forgiveness of sins. It is here that he wishes to bestow his mercy upon us, to heal our soul and give rest to our heart. It is here that he will be glorified.

As he beckons us to his mercy, he says to us: “He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life” (John 12:25). But, we ask, how can someone who loves himself deny himself, for this is what the Lord means? Saint Augustine answers the question this way:

There is not anyone, after all, who does not love himself. But we have to look for the right sort of love and avoid the wrong sort. You see, anyone who loves himself by leaving God out of his life (and leaves God out of his life by loving himself), does not even remain in himself. He actually leaves his self. He goes away into exile from his own heart by taking no notice of what is inside and instead only loving what is outside….

For instance, let me ask you this: Are you money? …And yet, by loving money, you end up abandoning yourself. First you abandon and then later end up destroying yourself. Love of money, you see, has caused you to destroy yourself. You tell lies on account of money. ….While looking for money, you have destroyed your soul.

If we wish to follow Christ so as to attain the deepest longings of our heart, then we must follow him and sow our soul in this world, so as to harvest it in the next. We must die each day to sin, in whatever form we are tempted, that we might be found with Christ whom we seek, so as to be honored by the Father.

Let us then hasten to confession, to confess our sins to the Lord, doing so honestly, sincerely and in integrity of heart. If we confess well, if we are truly sorry for our sins and intend not to commit them again, the grace of this Sacrament will transform us ever more closely into the image of Christ, whose servants we are. The more we resemble Christ, the great our joy and peace, the greater our contentment, will be.

Let each of us say, “I wish to see Jesus,” and go humbly where he is found. Amen.

Bishop Lucas: Do "not ignore" Confession

Bishop Lucas recently addressed the sacramental economy in his weekly column in the Catholic Times, "Grace and Mercy."

"The traditional meaning of the term economy," he wrote, "refers to the system set up within a family or hoursehold to use resources to provide for the needs of all. It should give great cause for celebration to know that God provides the sacraments in the church as the means for us to participate in the salvation won by Jesus Christ."



As he encouraged the faithful to meet Jesus in the Sacrament of Penance, His Excellency said that through this Sacrament "God provides this powerful sign of his faithful love for us who have turned back to unfaithfulness after our Christian initiation."



Even though this Sacrament is "an effective encounter with the risen Christ in which real sins are taken away by an act of real forgiveness," he recognized that because receiving the Sacrament "can be painful and embarrassing to face our sins, we might avoid doing so, making the mercy of God seem to us not so important."



Because "there are some things only God can do" and because "our spiritual life is stifled by sin," Bishop Lucas said "we should not ignore this renewed invitation to live now as full participants in the economy of grace."

Ego te aboslvo

Out on the soccer field I have often found myself doing things that I never quite saw myself doing. To be honest, being out on the soccer field is itself one of those things I never foresaw, but when the boys asked how could I refuse?

Today I found myself doing yet another thing I never imagined I would do.

I've often said to the boys - as I've also said on this blog - that you can stop a priest at any time and ask him to hear your confession. He can only refuse to do so for a just cause. Today, one of the boys took me up on this (I share this with his permission).

Standing there on the sidelines in the middle of soccer practice I found myself talking with one of the boys about sins that I thought were hypothetical; apparently they weren't.

He asked to be forgiven for them and I remarked that we were not in confession. When he asked what to do to enter confession, we stepped back a few feet out of earshot and I heard his confession and absolved his sins right there on the sidelines.

It was truly a graced encounter. Afterwards he said, "I feel like a huge burden has been lifted from my shoulders." "That's because one has," I said. Of all of the activities of the day, this was the highlight, the two celebrations of the Holy Mass excepted.

Saint Paul famously said that he sought to become "all things to all men to save at least some" (I Corinthians 9:22).

May we priests of Jesus Christ seek to become the same! And may the Holy Spirit guide us to meet people where they are, so as to bring to them the tender mercy of God in every place and at any time. And may more people seek out their priests, imploring from the mercies of God, wherever they may be.

Parish mission begins tonight

Tonight the parish begins its Lenten mission and I'm happy to welcome a classmate of mine, Fr. Kris McKusky, to preach the mission.

Fr. Kris will preach each evening at 7:00 p.m. in the church. His preaching will be followed by a reception each evening in the parish center. If you're free and in the area, do join us.

We'll also be hearing confessions Monday through Thursday from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.

The schedule for the mission follows:

Sunday, March 9th Who Needs the Church?

Tonight Fr. McKusky will offer an overview of the Sacraments of Penance and Eucharist, briefly exploring how and why Jesus has given them to us. Through his reflections he will help us understand the role those two Sacraments play in our lives as disciples seeking to remain faithful to Christ Jesus.

Monday, March 10th Jesus Wants Me to Do What? Why?

What are the Scriptural foundations for the Sacrament of Penance? Where did this Sacrament come from and why must I go to confess my sins a priest? By reflecting on the will of Christ for us in this Sacrament, Fr. McKusky will help lead us to a renewed desire to meet the Lord in this Sacrament of merciful healing.

Following the 8:30 a.m. Mass, the Blessed Sacrament will be exposed for adoration in the church. All are invited to adore our Eucharistic Lord throughout the day. Fr. McKusky will conclude his preaching this evening with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

Tuesday, March 11th The Bible as Guide: Praying Better at Mass

Many people today desire to “get more out of Mass.” By understanding the Scriptural basis of much of the Mass it is possible to come to a deeper and more profound understanding of the Mass. Fr. McKusky will take us on a tour of the Biblical texts at play at the Mass to give us greater insight into our worship of God.

Wednesday, March 12th Gestures, Vestments, Prayers and More!

The Mass does not ordinarily resemble too much in our everyday lives. Just why does the priest gesture the way he does and why does he wear the vestments he wears? Where did all of this come from and what does it mean? Fr. McKusky will answer these questions and more!

Thursday, March 13th You Believe What?

Perhaps no question is more frequently and routinely asked of Catholics than one relating to the Real Presence of the Eucharist. Fr. McKusky will help us understand better the abiding presence of our Lord in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar by exploring Jesus’ words in the sixth chapter of Saint John’s Gospel.

Where have all the penitents gone?

We hear confessions at 3:30 p.m. (admittedly not a very convenient time for the faithful) every Saturday afternoon.

On a typical Saturday we hear 4-8 confessions (out of nearly 4,000 parishioners), but during Advent and Lent the number of penitents increases rather dramatically, or at least it used to.

Last year during Lent, it was common for two priests to each hear confessions - at the same time - for a full forty-five minutes and we often had a three priest helping at the same time.

This afternoon I went into the church to help with confessions. Two priests were already present and there weren't enough penitents to keep both of them "busy" at the same time.

I suppose it's possible that people simply aren't sinning any more, but that seems very unlikely. Where are all of the penitents?

Could it be that because Easter is so early that people haven't thought about their "Easter duty" yet? ...It might be time to do so.

The vestments have been violet now for three full weeks. Tomorrow is Laetare Sunday. After that there are only two more Sundays of Lent before the Triduum.

For those in the area, the communal penance service is tomorrow evening at 7:00 p.m. at Sacred Heart church.

Confessions will be heard each evening March 10th-13th from 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m., in conjunction with the parish mission.

Confessions will also be heard each day of Holy Week from Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Bishop Lucas on Penance

His Excellency Bishop George J. Lucas has an excellent column inviting every Catholic to confession. Be sure to read it.

Here's a snippet:

While it is God who forgives our sins in the sacrament, through the ministry of the priest who is configured to Christ, forgiveness is not forced on us. We must participate in this sacramental encounter with the Lord. Our participation becomes more mature and more worthy by good preparation for the sacrament. That
preparation has several important elements.

Let Bishop Lucas help you prepare for confession.

Bishop Lucas issues first pastoral letter

His Excellency the Most Reverend George J. Lucas issued his first Pastoral Letter today in the Catholic Times.

Entitled "We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God," the 6-page letter seems to be very timely for the season of Lent.

I haven't yet had a chance to read it but I hope to do so in a few minutes. Sunday's homily will most likely discuss the letter.