In Search of the Spirit A monthly letter from the Glenmary Vocation Office

March 2006

Lent and Confession

Father Steve has invited Glenmary Father Bruce C. H. Brylinski (Olive Hill, Ky.) to be the guest columnist for this issue of In Search of the Spirit.

Lent is our annual season to reflect on how God's mercy, forgiveness and empowering Grace are working in our lives. It is a Grace of loving concern that looks into our hearts when we sin: in being callous, impatient, imprudent; lacking interest for church community; lacking concern for the poor; being selfish or immature; or being mean spirited. The Grace of God is the powerful agent that leads all of us to what God wants us to be. Moreover, God will ask us to dig deep into all our creative human resources and work with this undying loving Grace, growing into a beautiful disciple of Jesus.

Will we respond to the gift of God's Grace? Will we take the risk to be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit? Do we want to cross over the threshold into an energizing spiritual life? Or, would we rather appear to take a comfortable way out? A way out that says: "Well, I'm not some kind of saint, You can't expect me to be good all the time." Or, "I'm not a BIG sinner. It's no big deal. I don't want to feel bad about myself." Maybe we even have a fear of what a good spiritual life would be like!

Wherever we stand on sin and spirituality, it is important to remember that we as Roman Catholics believe in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If we fail to enter into this sacramental experience, we miss innumerable opportunities to receive and return God's love.

So why is the Sacrament of Reconciliation so unpopular? It is true that we have a deeper understanding that the Eucharist forgives our sins and fills with loving grace. Still we need to reflect and examine who we are in the presence of our Brother Jesus, Our Lord and God. This is hard today when we avoid problems with a make-believe reality that holiness is not very human.

It is vitally important that we talk and explore avenues of living the gospel in dynamic ways. How isolated we can become when we keep our thoughts, feelings and ideas--or concerns--to ourselves! Pent up fear, apathy, lackluster feelings--these do not help us to move in any positive direction. Self-reflection requires time. When we move so fast and are overwhelmed with concerns in the everyday world, facing our sins or needs of spiritual growth is something that gets pushed to the bottom of the list of things to do.

The untold truth is that Confession is more than mumbling our sins. It is also a helpful tool to review our spiritual growth. In the Sacrament, we have a generous opportunity to share our heart's pain and spiritual longing with our Brother Jesus. It is a time of consolation and inspiration from the very heart of Jesus. Reviewing and seeking spiritual growth will encourage and inspire us to keep on trying, keep on going beyond the murky gray feelings to more hopefully brighter actions.

The Sacrament of Reconciliation offers us an opportunity to be with Jesus, to express our sinfulness and desires to grow more deeply in the power of the Spirit. It is a time to experience Jesus in a very human way. Yes, speaking and listening to Jesus, the joy of our life, through the presence of the priest. Yes, talking to and receiving Jesus through the priest. While the priest is still a human, in the celebration of the sacrament he is a vessel for Jesus to express the immeasurable mercy of God our Father. The priest, by virtue of his ordination, brings and shares the living and forgiving Christ to anyone who asks.

Become healed and refreshed by the Merciful Love of God in Jesus through the Holy Spirit in celebrating the Sacrament of Reconciliation!

Here is an examination of conscience that you might find helpful in preparing yourself for the sacrament:

REFLECTING ON THE 10 COMMANDMENTS

God the Center of my life

1. You shall not have strange gods before me.
2. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain.
3. Keep holy the Lord's Day.

Have I honored God with Sunday worship and communion?
Have I thanked God in the morning and the night?
Have I let money, time, personal wants be come more important than God?
Are my words and actions respectful of God's love?

Family

4. Honor your father and mother.
5. You shall not kill.
6. You shall not commit adultery.
7. You shall not steal.

Have I taken the time to express love and concern for my parents, for elderly and the infirm?
Have I been truthful in my work, my love for my family?
Have I sought out forgiveness when I have hurt someone out of neglect or harshness?
Have I taken care of my health without complaining about sickness?
Have I lived chastely as a single person?
Have I respected God's presence in life from conception to death?
Have I stolen anything from stores or persons?

Community

8. You shall not bear false witness.
9. You shall not desire your neighbor's wife.
10. You shall not desire your neighbor's goods .

Have I damaged another's person name?
Have I reverenced the Marriage vows of others?
Have I supported by Church community with my prayers, time and talent?
Have I become informed and spoken out about injustices in the community, the State, the world?
Have I taken the time to give what is needed to the poor?

REFLECTING ON SPIRITUAL GROWTH

Do I have a regular pattern of prayer?
–Create a special prayer space with cross and candles, bible
–Pray the psalms and read the Gospels.
*Reflect on the quality of my prayer. Notice and examine the ups and downs of my heart.

Do I take time for Spiritual reading?
–Read a book about a favorite Saint.
–Read and reflect on Pope Benedict's encyclical Deus caritas est.
–Read a book on Catholic Spirituality.
*Reflect on how I need the Lord in my life.

Have I taken a retreat?
–Schedule a day or weekend retreat.
–Visit a shrine or church for a weekday mass.
–Plan a pilgrimage to a place of holiness.
*Reflect on how I share the mystery of God.

	Father Steve Pawelk Vocation Director  spawelk@glenmary.org

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