RosaryMeds

IAACS: IT’S ALL ABOUT CONFESSION SILLY

My family invited a friend who was the former associate pastor at our parish, Father Tony. He has since moved to the role of pastor at his current parish. We picked his brain about how to make parishes stronger. Without skipping a beat, he proclaimed “adoration and confession.”

I’m going to focus on confession in this article. Father Tony said that parishes need to do more than just offer the Sacrament of Confession for 30 minutes before the Saturday vigil Mass. It needs to be widely available and promoted. Think about it, when was the last time you heard a priest talk at length about the importance and value of Confession?

WHERE GRACE ABOUNDS

You really have to think of a parish as a group of people with various sins on their souls. Now, which parish will be stronger? The parish where a large portion of the congregation receives the Sacrament of Reconciliation regularly or the one with very few penitents? From a purely logical viewpoint, the stronger parish is the one with less communal sin.

Faith and grace flourish where sin is reduced. It’s like cleaning up all the junk and trash to reveal the natural beauty of the soul. If you understand the importance of Confession, then you also recognize the importance of the other sacraments as well. You will want to go to Mass every Sunday and Holy Day and receive the Eucharist in a state of grace. In fact, you will follow all the precepts of the Church. Where Confession abounds, so does grace.

FAMILY PEACE

Here’s a small example of the communal power of Confession. My wife, who is a living saint, insisted that we all go to Confession as a family because we haven’t gone in a few months. We all received the forgiveness and for a brief time, we were a family without sin.

The following Sunday was a peaceful one. I don’t know if it was just a coincidence, but it seemed like there was a greater effort in the household to foster a sense of peace and joy. Personally, I really wanted to live out the last part of The Act of Contrition — “And I firmly resolve with the help of your grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin.” It’s like the entire family wanted to keep the sinless streak alive, at least for a day.

I can see the wisdom in Father Tony’s words about building a parish on the foundation of the Sacrament of Confession. After all, if my immediate family felt a sense of peace and joy after Confession, imagine how an entire parish must feel. At any given time, a good proportion of the congregation has a “clean slate” and is trying to keep their sinless streak going. That will have an entirely different dynamic than a parish where only a few “old school” members are going to Confession while the vast majority haven’t gone in years.

While we should support an individual going to Confession whenever they need to, we should push our pastors to place a greater emphasis on that sacrament. They need to encourage more people to receive it. If there isn’t enough time in the current slot, increase it. A parish family that is free from sin will be a stronger parish. I don’t know a single pastor that doesn’t want a stronger, more vibrant parish with more individual souls in a state of grace.

As I move into summer, I often think about how my daily routines change. My kids are out of school, so we don’t have to scramble in the morning getting ready. I don’t have to pick them up in the afternoon. We don’t have after-school activities and homework to deal with. I also don’t have the house to myself to do my work. All these changes got me thinking about routines in general and what it means to have a healthy, spiritual routine.

Healthy Routines

Most people understand the benefits of healthy routines. The results from a routine are often greater than the individual benefit of each part. When you feel physically healthy, you usually can’t pinpoint the exact cause of it. It’s not due to a specific workout, diet, night’s sleep, or vitamin. It’s the combination of those healthy activities that produce an overall desired result.

I think the same thing can be said about feeling spiritually healthy. It’s not a specific devotion that will put you at ease and feel some sort of existential joy. Rarely, does someone come out of a Mass feeling completely transformed. I don’t look back at my evening prayers and think, “wow, that totally changed my life!” It’s the combination of praying the Rosary daily, reading theological books, going through the Bible in a Year, attending Mass, and participating in the parish which gives me a sense of spiritual joy and moral direction.

The Lie of “That One Thing”

Too often, we either look for that “silver bullet” or dismiss a practice because of a single lackluster experience. We are always on the lookout for that one thing that we think will make us happy. Our consumer culture banks on that desire that this one specific product will make you happy. Politicians do it too. They promise that if you support them, you will get the life you desire. But as many successful people will tell you, happiness isn’t found in one easy step. It usually takes hard work and patience to obtain worthwhile goals.

On the flip side, we often give up good habits because they are hard, or we have a single bad experience. Many people stop going to Mass when they hear a homily that doesn’t confirm their vices or non-Catholic beliefs. Instead of working to understand Catholic teaching and try hard to live up to it, it’s easier to quit and blame the priest for saying something “mean.” Or they give up praying the Rosary or reading the Bible after a few attempts because they didn’t immediately feel any different.

What Makes a Successful Routine?

Those who are successful stick with good habits even when they are challenging or don’t seem beneficial at a particular moment. There is plenty of evidence that exercise, sleep, and diet lead to better overall physical health. But you can’t give up on them just because you don’t feel completely changed after a single workout or good night’s sleep. The same goes for our spiritual health. It takes time for those healthy practices to transform you. But we have plenty of evidence from the saints and maybe people in our own lives that these habits do work when you stick with them.

In my life, I can’t point to a specific Bible verse, book paragraph, Rosary decade, or homily to explain why I keep trying to live the Catholic faith. That’s like trying to find the specific vegetable I ate or the particular pushup that made me feel good one day. It’s the combination of those Bible verses, homilies, books, novenas, and Rosary prayers that create that spiritually healthy lifestyle.

My challenge to you is to ask yourself, “Am I living a spiritually healthy life?” Are you investing in your faith every day? Are you praying every day? Are you learning Catholic teachings (from source material, not what some “catholic” commentator proclaims)? If we truly believe that our faith leads to eternal happiness, then are we working towards that goal every day?

Lenin’s Tomb vs. Catholic Masses

I visited Moscow in 2002. I saw all the typical tourist sites in Red Square and the Kremlin. One popular destination is Lenin’s tomb where you can actually see the crazy revolutionary preserved in a glass coffin. Unlike certain saints whose bodies are uncorrupted, Lenin is preserved artificially and so there probably isn’t much of his real body left. I’m going to talk about my experience visiting Lenin’s tomb and compare that to my typical Sunday Mass.

You have to follow strict guidelines when visiting Lenin’s tomb. You can’t bring any food, drinks, or backpacks. Photography and videos aren’t allowed. There are armed military guards enforcing silence. They will stare you down in a threatening way at the slightest whisper. I’m not sure what would happen if you didn’t follow protocol. The whole environment is set up so that one doesn’t want to find out.

Let us now walk through a first Communion Mass I recently attended. Before the Mass started, people were chatting in the pews. I saw plenty of ripped jeans, T-shirts, and low-cropped tops. People casually walked in with cups of coffee as if they were looking for a table at the local Starbucks. During the Mass, small conversations started up whenever there was enough musical cover to mask the sound. Responses from the congregation were weak and muffled as only a tiny fraction of people knew the proper responses of the Mass. Even grandmothers, who are usually the bastions of holiness, were just as bad as the kids they were supposed to be examples for.

Meeting God’s Expectations

It’s sad that people give the tomb of a revolutionary who caused the death and suffering of millions so much reverence while disrespecting the Real Presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. This isn’t a matter of ignorance either. I didn’t visit Lenin’s tomb to honor him. I was a tourist, and his tomb is one of the sites people visit in Moscow. But I still had to follow the rules and guidelines. Similarly, anyone entering a Catholic church, whether practicing or not, should understand that it’s a sacred space and act appropriately.

The casualness we approach Mass is a symptom of the deadliest of sins — pride. It’s us telling God that we are going to do what we feel like, not what he expects. We put ourselves, our fashion, our routines, and our wants before his. We tell him that we won’t humble ourselves to dress and act appropriately in his presence. We are like Satan proclaiming, “I will not serve,” whenever we don’t honor and praise God when we are in his presence.

Bringing Humility to your Parish

I’m probably preaching to the choir about how to dress and act when in the presence of God. Mary has already helped instill a spirit of humility if you regularly pray the Rosary. I’m going to offer this challenge to you. If your parish is too casual in its practices, tell the pastor. Ask him to introduce more reverence into the Mass. I mentioned this to our pastor and now we have a moment of silence before our Masses. We are still far from the reverence and humility that God deserves, but it’s a start.

If you’re concerned about the casualness of your parish, pray and meditate on the Fifth Luminous Mystery — The Institution of the Eucharist. We need to remind ourselves just how precious and sacred a church is. When we see the light of the presence on the altar, we need to remember that Jesus is right there. It’s an awesome opportunity to present all our sorrows, concerns, and thanksgivings to him. We occupy a relatively small sliver of human existence that gets to come before Jesus every time we enter a Catholic church. Pray that you don’t squander that opportunity by talking about sports or the wonderful vacation you have planned.

Being the one in Charge

I’m transitioning from coaching soccer to refereeing. In a soccer match, there is the field referee and two assistant referees on the sidelines. Most of the time, I’m an assistant referee watching for offsides and who touched the ball last when it goes out of play. It’s a good way to learn how to officiate because most of the difficult calls are made by the field referee who usually has more experience.

One of these days, I’m going to move into the field referee position which is a terrifying proposition. As an assistant referee, I can rest assured that if I make a mistake, the field referee will just override my call. And while I understand the different types of fouls and laws of the game in the academic sense, it’s hard to recall them while making split-second decisions. It will also be difficult to be that final arbitrator and face the backlash of angry coaches, players, and parents.

The Apostles Are Promoted

I think the apostles must have felt the same after Jesus’ Ascension. They were probably comfortable assisting Jesus in his ministry. It was still Jesus’ teaching, healing, and putting himself out there to people’s delight and other’s disdain. Like an assistant referee, they could rest easy knowing that Jesus was going to make the all the hard decisions. Even when Jesus sent them out to minister, the apostles knew that Jesus would still be there when they returned to help resolve any issues that may have arisen.

After the Ascension, the apostles realized that they were no longer assistants but had been promoted to leading and building the Christian Church. And no matter how much they learned from Jesus, they must have felt scared knowing that it was they, not him, who would need to make the decisions on where to take the Church. Remember, this came weeks after Jesus’ Passion which was a low point in their commitment to Jesus. And now they were going to be the ones in charge.

God Knows We Are Ready

Many times, God calls us before we think we are ready. Any new parent knows that feeling of coming home from the hospital with a newborn realizing they are on their own to nurture this new life. Maybe your job, school, or parish is asking for your commitment to a new project or committee in your already-full schedule. Perhaps God is telling you through prayer that he wants you lead your life in a new direction.

As scary as these new situations may be, we have to remember that it’s all part of God’s divine plan for us. He has a personalized plan for each one of us that puts us on a path towards Heaven. He’s not going to lead us down a path we aren’t ready for. However, it requires great faith (aka: trust in God) to let go of our doubts and fears when God calls us out of our current routine into something different.

This is where faith built on routine prayer comes into play. We need to be prepared if God ever calls us to follow him along a different path. We’ll be more confident and assured if we already have a deep relationship with God because we’ll be following a trusted friend, not a stranger. Like Mary at the Annunciation and the apostles after the Ascension, we may not have all the answers and a clear idea of what God wants from us. But God has a plan and it’s a good one even if we can’t see it.

Sorry for talking about the Ascension a week after we celebrated it. Hopefully, I’ll write a post about Pentecost before Thanksgiving!

Large sins often spring from small beginnings. Few of us wake up in the morning intending to sin. I would hope that we strive to lead virtuous lives centered around following God. And yet, there we are every few months in the confessional asking for forgiveness. How can people with such noble intentions fail so often?

David, the Exulted and Fallen King

From the lay person to God’s anointed, we all fall into sin. Let’s look at the Second Book of Samuel in the Old Testament. King David committed adultery with the wife of one of his trusted soldiers and later set up that soldier to be killed in battle. Up to that point, David had been an ideal leader and follower of God. He consulted God on every decision he made. He showed immense faith in God leading the Israelites to victory in battle. He showed mercy towards his enemies like King Saul. How did such a great follower of God’s Will veer so far off path?

When you read the Second Book of Samuel, this story starts with David essentially taking the day off. He stayed at the palace and rested instead of staying with his men in battle. That’s where he saw Basheba bathing and his lust got the better of him. At that moment, David was no better than any other king of his day — using his power and authority to get what he wanted.

There was nothing inherently wrong with David wanting to take a day off from his duties as king and leader of the army. But because he decided to do something other than his duty, David slid into sin. The man who consulted God about everything decided to not only take the day off from work, but also from including God in his day. When David did his will instead of God’s, he committed adultery and murder.

Always Remembering God

It is so important to never stray from practicing our faith. And I’m not just talking about attending Sunday Mass. We need to include God in our day every day. We aren’t called to Christian virtue for one hour a week. It’s a commitment we honor every minute of our lives. When David consulted God, he was a good leader and mighty warrior. When he ignored God, he fell into sin. We are the same — we are strong when we lean on God and weak when we acknowledge no higher authority than ourselves.

How can we include God in our day? After all, many of us are busy with work, school, family, etc. There are many ways:

1. Pray the Rosary
2. Read scripture
3. Read theological books or blogs (but stay away from news and gossip)
4. Spend some time in church in front of the Blessed Sacrament
5. Pray the Liturgy of the Hours
6. Fast
7. Pray when you wake up and before you go to bed
8. Pray before and after meals

It comes down to having a God-centered mindset. Feeling stressed or anxious? Ask God for help. Feeling ill? Ask God to see you through it. Concerned about a loved one? Ask God to take care of them. We don’t need to shoulder our day and our challenges alone. When we include God in our day, we are mighty, like David. When we ignore God, we fall into sin, also like David.