Day 9 of Lent 2020

Reconciliation is one of the most beautiful sacraments in the Catholic church. For me, I still get nervous every time I go. It means I have to tell my sins out loud (in private of course) and I feel guilty, embarrassed, and ashamed. One would think that it gets easier as you become an adult. For me, not so.

Waiting in line for the confessional whether you are young or old is a humbling and sobering experience. In my head I am going through the 10 Commandments, trying to remember the Act of Contrition, and feeling a sense of guilt for my sins.

Then the priest prays a prayer of absolution over me and I feel a sense that all the guilty weight of sins I had been carrying (sometimes for more than a year) are lifted from me. I walk out of the church lighter and renewed. It’s like I am starting over and there are new possibilities in front of me.

Guilt, especially guilt of things we have done in the past, can swallow you up and we can become paralyzed with past sins. We have to remember that whatever happened is in the past. We can’t change it. All we can do is ask for forgiveness. Whether we ask for forgiveness from God or from others we hurt we must move on. Give yourself a second chance (or more) at life.