I wrote about things near and dear to me. And those things are mainly my family and my faith.
There is something cathartic about pounding out my thoughts to the rhythmic sound of the keys on this keyboard.
But I rarely find the time to do that anymore.
But something very special happened in my daughter's life last night and as I thought about joining all of my friends in posting a picture of it on Facebook, I hesitated. And ultimately I didn't post anything about it.
Why? I don't really know. But probably because I hate the misunderstanding that so many Protestant Christians have about Catholic Christians. And probably because I knew that the many dear Christian friends of mine would look at those pictures and think things that I don't want them to think; make incorrect assumptions about my relationship with Jesus. And probably because I didn't want those friends to think different of me and my faith because I believe in "it".
"It" is the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Better known as Confession to most people. And it's one of the "big guns" for non-Catholics. In fact, it's the only thing my very dear and very God-loving, Baptist Mother-in-Law has ever questioned me about in my over 17 years of marriage.
Oh how I wish there was no separation among Christians and that the unity Christ intended for his Church was still intact! But it's not. It's broken and we now live in a Christian reality where there are many Christians who all believe very different things. But none are as different to Protestants than the practices of the Catholics. Especially Confession.
And so instead of posting those wonderful images on Facebook, I came here. To pound out my thoughts. Not because I think anyone will read them or that I can singlehandedly erase the stigma that so many have about Confession, but because I wanted to share the special and joy-filled experience of my daughter who made her very First Reconciliation on February 4, 2016.
The traditional definition of a sacrament is this:
"an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace."
I like to explain it as the special way that Christ gave us to bridge the gap between the supernatural world and the natural world; between the invisibility of the divine world and the visibility of the mortal world...just as God Himself became Incarnate and took on a human body to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth. God became fully human, a visible reality. But His humanness also pointed to a supernatural reality because he was also fully God. The people of the time could see, feel, touch, and hear God Himself. But only for a limited time.
So in His graciousness, Christ gave us a way to continue to see, feel, touch and hear natural, human things that point us to Himself; to a supernatural reality... and that way is through the sacraments. That's what sacraments are... visible signs that point us to a supernatural reality. And they give us grace. Lots of it!
In Baptism, the water we physically feel and know to be a cleansing agent points us to the supernatural reality that we are actually being spiritually cleansed.
In the Eucharist, the bread that we hold in our hands and taste in our mouths points us to the supernatural reality that Christ is actually nourishing and sustaining us with his own Body.
And in Reconciliation, we audibly hear the words of forgiveness that point us to the supernatural reality that it is Jesus himself who is tenderly forgiving us for all that we have confessed.
And that is exactly what happened last night... In a candlelit church sanctuary, with beautiful music playing in the background, my sweet Emily Kate had an encounter with Jesus when she humbly confessed aloud the things she has done that have been offensive to God. And Jesus, through the voice of the priest, assured her of His love and forgiveness and gave her His grace to press on with determination to do better.
Was she scared? No! Well, maybe a little nervous.
Was she upset that she had to say it out loud? No!
Was she sad about it? Absolutely Not!
It was the exact opposite.
She talked about it for weeks... giddy and excited.
The morning of February 4th, she awoke with a huge smile and announced "Today is my First Reconciliation!"
as she walked towards receiving the Sacrament and after she exited the door;
cleansed, forgiven, and perfectly reconciled with Jesus, her savior.
But then something special happened. One by one, the children received their First Reconciliation and as Father Dan explained, the light of Christ was re-lit inside their hearts and was burning brightly again! And so they each carried a small candle to the altar; representing the light that had been re-lit inside their hearts.
At the end of the night, the altar shone more brightly than it did when we first arrived. The shining candle lights symbolized the amazing grace of Jesus' forgiveness that was poured out upon those 2nd grade children and ignited a new flame within their hearts. And the light wasn't just coming from the candles... it was coming from the children too!
I think it's so unfortunate that so many people have such a negative view of this special sacrament. Most of that negativity is based on misunderstanding or incorrect assumptions. But these 2nd graders... they got it. And the result was huge smiles and a feeling that can only be explained by someone who has experienced that kind of grace poured out on them.
Was it hard for my Emily to say the things she did out loud?
Probably.
But just like when we hurt a friend and we feel sorry that we did so, we still need to TELL them we are sorry. They can't just know it. They need to hear it.
Is it hard to do? Of course! But we need to SAY it to our friend; verbally acknowledge our wrongdoing and ask for their forgiveness. And once we say it, we feel the weight of the hurt lifted and we know that we are truly reconciled in our relationship with that friend.
Our friend, Jesus, is no different! Is it hard to say aloud that we are sorry for the things we have done? Of course. But there is something special about the humility that is required to verbally express our faults. In that humility, Jesus transforms us with his love, his forgiveness and his grace. And we feel physically lighter.
Could Emily have just told God her sins directly?
Of course she could have! And she can!
But will she? Will I? Will you?
One of the best parts about the sacrament is that in it, Jesus gave us a reason to humbly examine our conscience in an effort to truly understand where we have been offensive to God in our lives. To take a deep, critical look at our behavior, our thoughts, and our motives and ask ourselves if they are in accordance with God's commands.
Can you do this without the sacrament?
Absolutely, but do you? Will you?
How often does a person use the Ten Commandments or the Lord's prayer or the Beatitudes to do a thorough examination of themselves to discern where they are being sinful? I know I only do it as I prepare for Reconciliation! And I think Jesus knew this about our human nature. He knew that an "out of sight, out of mind" attitude toward sin would be harmful to us and so He gave us a little nudge to evaluate ourselves through this sacrament.
And the interesting thing is.... the more I go to Reconciliation and examine my own conscience, the more I am aware of my daily tendencies towards sin and the more often I confess those things directly to God as they happen (hello patience and complaining!). It's a beautiful thing... the sacrament not only points me to the supernatural forgiveness of Christ; it trains my own mind to be more aware of my need to ask Jesus for his forgiveness and His grace in my day-to-day struggles. It transforms me and my relationship with Christ; not just in the moment of Reconciliation; but daily.
And let's be clear about one very important thing...
It is Jesus who forgives!
He simply uses the priest in the sacrament to verbally give us His words so that we can hear them; bridging the gap between Heaven and Earth once again. It's a beautiful thing, really. Christ knows and understands my humanness and because of that humanness, He gives me a verbal response that my human ears can hear, but my mind and heart know comes from Him.
A natural sign pointing to a supernatural reality.
A sacrament.
An outward sign.
Instituted by Christ.
To give grace.
Ah grace! I saved the best for last.
The sacrament gives you grace. Grace to do better. Grace to do the hard things that are often required to live a life in accordance with Christ and his teachings. A big heaping dose of grace - God's own help - to do the things that I cannot do on my own... that's what I get every time I go to Him in the sacrament of Reconciliation. Like the Prodigal Son, I go to verbally admit my wrongdoing, but in His mercy, like the Prodigal Son's Father, Jesus runs to embrace me and pours out His grace on me. He relights the fire within my heart. And I shine brighter than I did before.
Just like my Emily Kate did!
"Therefore, confess your sins to one another..."
James 5:16
"If you forgive the sins of any, their sins have been forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any; they have been retained."
John 20:23
*****
Note: While I could have written this post ƒrom an apologetic standpoint, citing scriptural support for the sacrament, I chose to write from a more human and personal standpoint. Therefore, if you read this post and disagree with the practice of Reconciliation, I would respectfully ask you to please refrain from commenting with the intent to enlighten me (trust me, I've done my due diligence!). While I could, I choose not to enter into a debate on the subject. I simply wanted to share mine and my Emily's human experience with the specialness of this kind of encounter with Christ.
