Though it’s been more than 25 years, I remember it like it was yesterday.
The irritability, the sass. The snark and eyerolls. The disrespect and woe-is-me, award-winning theatrical displays. The feeling that no one understood, most especially not my mother.
It’s true, teenage me was a handful at times. And the one who bore the brunt of my disrespect was my beloved mom.
My mom was the best. She was energetic, joyful, and hardworking. She overflowed with love – the gentle kind and the tough kind. She never preached or scolded, but instead taught by example.
I remember one specific instance when she was at the kitchen sink washing dishes. Several minutes before, we had a disagreement about something. I can’t even remember what it was about because it wasn’t so much the disagreement but her response that made it memorable.
After convincing myself that I was justified in my anger, I stomped up to my bedroom in a huff, slammed the door, and flung myself onto the pink and purple tie-dyed comforter of my bed.
Well, that felt better, I thought to myself.
But that feeling passed quickly. It was soon replaced with something else.
That fit of rage, taken out on my sweet mom, who absolutely didn’t deserve it .…
I felt terrible. I felt sorrowful. My heart broke for treating someone I loved so unjustly, so disrespectfully. I felt so sorry for how I acted.
Without another thought, I ran downstairs to where she was still washing the dishes and gave her a hug with tear-filled eyes.
“I’m so sorry, Mom,” I said.
She turned off the water, turned to me with a big smile on her face, and she laughed. She laughed!
“Oh, honey, I knew you’d come around!” she said, warmly.
That was it. She not only forgave me, but she welcomed me with open arms, a smile, and a good chuckle.
It’s not that she was excusing my behavior. Quite the opposite.
It’s that she knew my heart. She saw my remorse. And she rejoiced at my desire to make things right.
This is how our Lord responds to you, too, when you turn back to Him after falling away in sin.
When we make a mistake, when we sin, when we fall short, He is waiting for us to turn back to Him and set things straight.
And as Catholics, we get to do this very thing with our Creator in the Sacrament of Confession.
You might hear some people say, “God knows my heart.” Or, “I just go right to God with my sins.”
And here’s the thing … both statements are true!
God is all-knowing and indeed does know your heart. And you should absolutely pray to God about your sins.
But take my story, for example. I could have felt bad for how I acted, but if I had never taken the time to go to my mom to apologize and seek forgiveness, that would, over time, corrode our relationship.
From the stirrings in my heart, I was moved to take action to make things right. I was moved to find my mom, tell her I was sorry, and seek her forgiveness. And in turn, she had the opportunity to accept my apology and to forgive me.
All of this took action from each of us.
And this is exactly what happens between us and God in the Sacrament of Confession.
In Mathew 16:19, Jesus says to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." This power of binding and loosing was also given to the apostles. (CCC1444)
When we go to Confession, the priest is acting in the person of Jesus.
And here’s the gift: when we go to Confession, not only do we get to go straight to Jesus to apologize, but we get to receive His forgiveness too.
Our relationship with Christ is at the center of the Catholic life. Christ gave His church the sacraments as tangible ways to unite our lives with His.
The Sacrament of Confession is the gift of repentance and reconciliation. It is there for receiving for me and you.
It is the sacrament that keeps us in relationship with our Creator. It’s the sacrament that transforms us every time we receive it.
If it’s been a while since your last Confession, I encourage you to go soon. Jesus is waiting patiently.
“It is the movement of a 'contrite heart,' drawn and moved by grace to respond to the merciful love of God who loved us first.” (CCC 1428)
SOURCES
https://usccb.cld.bz/Catechism-of-the-Catholic-Church2
