Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York, president of the U.S. bishops' conference, said during his presidential address on the opening day of the bishops' Fall general assembly in Baltimore regarding the Sacrament of Reconciliation, "This is the sacrament of the new evangelization, for as Pope Benedict reminds us, 'We cannot speak about the new evangelization without the sincere desire to conversion'"
As this "Year of Faith" and "New Evangelization" move forward, we will see an increasing emphasis on this Sacrament. Of course, I pretty much get that emphasis every year. You can't be the Director of Faith Formation and not get your full dose of Reconciliation....we teach it, we preach it, we schedule it, we live it, we practically breathe it for more than half the year!
Up until about 9 years ago, when our children received their first Sacrament of Reconcillation, we encouraged our parents to also make their Confessions. As a matter of fact, we were guilty of, well, allowing them to think they HAD to go to Confession at the same service at which their child was making their Confessions. I felt guilty, but not for long. When I would catch a glimpse of a mother or a father coming out of the Confessional, tears on their cheeks, a smile on their face, and then they knelt down in fervent prayer, well....I knew we had done the right thing overall. Sadly, we no longer take the time to do this; but I have hope that with the encouragement of our Bishops, maybe we will find a solution.
I'd like to refer you to a website with a very short article written by a Catholic mom who had not been to Confession since her Confirmation day. It pretty much describes the angst one goes through in even considering going to Confession after a long while. But it has a happy ending (you knew it would).....so give it a read....and if you haven't been in awhile....well.....just give it a read, okay? http://catholicmom.com/2012/04/19/returning-to-the-sacrament/
As this "Year of Faith" and "New Evangelization" move forward, we will see an increasing emphasis on this Sacrament. Of course, I pretty much get that emphasis every year. You can't be the Director of Faith Formation and not get your full dose of Reconciliation....we teach it, we preach it, we schedule it, we live it, we practically breathe it for more than half the year!
Up until about 9 years ago, when our children received their first Sacrament of Reconcillation, we encouraged our parents to also make their Confessions. As a matter of fact, we were guilty of, well, allowing them to think they HAD to go to Confession at the same service at which their child was making their Confessions. I felt guilty, but not for long. When I would catch a glimpse of a mother or a father coming out of the Confessional, tears on their cheeks, a smile on their face, and then they knelt down in fervent prayer, well....I knew we had done the right thing overall. Sadly, we no longer take the time to do this; but I have hope that with the encouragement of our Bishops, maybe we will find a solution.
I'd like to refer you to a website with a very short article written by a Catholic mom who had not been to Confession since her Confirmation day. It pretty much describes the angst one goes through in even considering going to Confession after a long while. But it has a happy ending (you knew it would).....so give it a read....and if you haven't been in awhile....well.....just give it a read, okay? http://catholicmom.com/2012/04/19/returning-to-the-sacrament/
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