I will get up and go to my Father and shall say to him:
Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
REFLECTION
As Americans, people who live in the United States, we love to talk and enjoy our liberty.
We cherish this inalienable right given to us by God and the Constitution. However, we never think about our duties and personal responsibility.
American psychiatrist, Karl Menninger tells us in his book "Whatever became of sin" that (in regards to sin) "The rabbis and ministers and priests, stopped talking about it. … The psychiatrist picked it up, and then it became a complex."
Venerable Bishop Fulton Sheen wrote a book in 1941 called "A Declaration of Dependence". This wise Bishop tells us how we Catholics used to believe in the Immaculate Conception, and the rest of us are sinners. Now we believe that we are the immaculate ones and never sin, we just make mistakes. Or we blame our family, or a teacher, or something that happened to us, but never look at ourselves anymore, either as individuals, society, or nation.
We need to reflect, like the young man in the Gospel, on our own doings and take that first step back to the Father by taking a good look into our souls. When I work on my examination of conscience, I pray to our Patrons St. John Vianney (Patron Saint of Parish Priests), and St. Alphonsus of Liguori (Patron Saint of Confessors), to help me make a good confession and remember the wrong things I've done.
Confession has to have the 3 C's: Complete, Concise, and Contrite. This is: (1) say all your sins. (2) Be specific and don't give winded excuses. (3) Be sorrowful and have the resolution of not doing that again. A good confessor might ask for further information if needed, and will give good advice to the penitent.
I hope we all can take sometime this Lent to make a good examination of conscience and approach the confessional to be reconciled with God once again. God in His infinite mercy has given us this beautiful Sacrament so we can reconcile with Him and continue in our way to (hopefully) one day become saints.
Comments