From the Desk of Father Nathan

The sacrament of Confession is one of the wonderful gifts and treasures that the church cherishes.  The Church so beautifully touches and heals the hearts of many of the faithful by this wonderful sacrament.

We have confession from the 16th to the 24th in preparation for Christmas; hence, may I personally request you all to make good use of this sacrament.

Let us try to understand the meaning and effects of confession.

5 Reasons to Participate in the sacrament of Confession:

1.  We strengthen or restore our relationship with God and others by grace.

This effect reveals the real horror of sin.  By mortal sin, we separate ourselves from God and refuse His grace.  By Confession we are reunited with God.  God dwells in us through grace, and by that grace, our souls magnify the Lord.  And should we have sinned only in small, venial ways, the sacrament of Penace wipes thos away too.

2. Reconciliation with the Church

I personally urge the family to go for confession, just because our local church is our family and usually we sin against our family.  Hence sin separates us from our community and the Church.  Sin pulls us away from our families.  It isolates us from our friends. It sours our relationships at work.  By Confession, God restores us to the Church.  We return to our familes and friends with more love to give.

3. Remission of the eternal punishment incurred by mortal sins.

Heaven is the gift from the Lord to us.  All of us could reach heaven by living a holy life.  But by mortal sin, we condemn ourselves to hell.  Thankfully, through Confession, God freely pardons this punishment.  It would be wrong to imagine that God  is stingy with such a pardon.  As our loving, merciful Father, He delights in pardoning us.  He even gives us the very grace to draw us to Confession.  At the words of absolution (“I absolve you”), all the angels and saints rejoice at this remission.  They await our entrance to the heavenly banquet.

4. We are granted Peace and Serenity

We carry a heavy burden on our backs through our sins….by the power of confession all our sins are washed away.  We become so clean.  This sacrament truly brings peace, even if unfelt in the moment.  Anecdotally, it is the repeated experience of the faithful that we leave Confession light-hearted, joyful and renewed in God’s love.

5. It boosts our spiritual life and bestows the vigor to fight against evil

Whether we recognize it or not, the Christian life is a battle.  We all fight our inner old man, certain of those tendencies that linger after our baptism.  Every day, we are tempted to forget the true God, to use our neighbors, and to seek our selfish pleasure.  In the daily battle, even the saints stumble and fall, even if only in small ways.  Confession forgives these failures, and it also strengthens us to overcome vices with virtue.

Ultimately, Christ is our true victor.  He is our strength.  He is our salvation.

God bless you all.  Please pray for me and please be assured of my prayers for you all.

With lots of love and ever at your service,