“Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”
With those words, Catholics around the world seek forgiveness of their sins through the Sacrament of Penance, also called Reconciliation or Confession.
In this Jubilee Year of Hope, we asked Father John Maria, Pastor of St. Mary Parish, Kutztown, and Director of Vocations for the Diocese of Allentown, to talk about Confession and how it leads to God’s grace.
How does the Sacrament of Penance give us hope?
Fr. Maria: “I think it’s important to understand what Christian Hope is, and what it is not. It is not mere optimism about the things of this life. Christian hope is about trust in God’s mercy and confidence in the power of God’s grace to save us, to get us to Eternal Life. Along that way, when we are in His grace through going to Confession, life changes. And that brings about all kinds of opportunities for hope.”
What if someone hasn’t been to Confession in a while?
Fr. Maria: “When we’ve been away from Confession for a long time, we are spiritual free agents. We’re working on our own resources. To return to Confession is all about hope. It’s the actual experience of God’s grace that restores us and strengthens our communion with him, and puts us back on the path to Eternal Life.”
So Confession helps you get to heaven. But does it also help here on earth?
Fr. Maria: “Confession is not merely about the next life, and avoiding hell, like having “fire insurance.” God’s grace has an impact in everyday life. People can be discouraged about being stuck in particular sins, and the Sacrament of Penance grants forgiveness of those sins, but also the grace to overcome them. When you see God’s grace at work changing us, conforming us to Himself, there’s great hope in that.” In fact, we can even count it as evidence of hope fulfilled.
How many Confessions do you hear?
Fr. Maria: “In my own parish, it’s grown to about 30 or 40 per week. We offer Confessions before each weekend Mass, and have also added Confessions on Wednesday nights, because it’s not always convenient for someone to come on the weekend. Since the Year of the Real Presence in 2021, there are many more opportunities to attend Confession at parishes around our Diocese.
Are there any Confession success stories that you can relate?
Fr. Maria: “I’m always heartened when people come back to Confession after being away a long time. I must say that I’ve been puzzled at times by the number of people for whom Mass has always been important, but have stayed away from Confession. In homilies, I frequently repeat the invitation to come back and experience His mercy, and assure them to be not afraid.
“I’ve been privileged to see the power of God’s grace in Confession on many occasions, even at the death bed. I was once called to visit a man by a hospice nurse. He was near death, and he told me he didn’t think he could be forgiven because he had so many sins that had not been confessed over 40 or 50 years. I told him, ‘We can take care of all of that right now.’ To hear him praying the Act of Contrition, and to see him immediately in peace was powerful. When I heard that he died shortly afterward, I could only marvel at the power of God’s grace.”
What do you say to someone who worries that the priest may judge them?
Fr. Maria: “There is never judgement. For me, there is only admiration. The greater the sin, the more the admiration I have for the person who has the courage to speak their grave sins aloud to the Lord. I’ve been on the other side of the screen enough to realize how hard it is to gin up that courage. But then, they get to hear, aloud, the forgiveness of the Lord for their sins.”
Any other observations about the power of God’s mercy in our faith?
Fr. Maria: “I have seen so many times the beauty of prayers uttered by people nearing death, even when they are not otherwise able to clearly communicate. Prayers learned “by heart” as children remain in your heart, even at the moment of death. Long before I was a priest, my Dad was sick and nearing death. He was not fully lucid, but when the priest came to anoint him, I heard my Dad pray the Act of Contrition as clear as a bell. What a comfort that was to me! I’ll never forget that.”
Did Confession play a role in your wanting to become a priest?
Fr. Maria: “A very big part of me wanting to be a priest was so that I would be able to convey to others the mercy that I myself have received from Christ, through His priests.”
Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash.
For Catholics, hope is a gift from God, a longing for Eternal Life and the Kingdom of Heaven. Throughout this Jubilee Year of Hope, we will examine how hope is embodied in the Sacraments and through the important ministries of the Diocese. Watch for articles throughout the year.
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