Day 24. Truth of the Spirit with Patti Brunner presents Daily Meditations for Lent. Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I am Patti Brunner. This is day 24 of “Daily Meditations for Lent” on Friday week 3. We will share personal revelations given during Lent for you to discern and other contemplations to help you to grow “in closeness to the Lord through truth, repentance, and the word of God moving into fullness within your heart.”
I heard the Lord say this to us on Friday of the 3rd week of Lent, “Each and every time you turn to Me in supplication I listen. Always place your trust in Me. I listened to your pleas to help you pray but did not dictate. You were inspired in my scripture because that is exactly their purpose. I will continue to lead you to the source you need in completion of tasks for your work in my Church in this life. As long as you continue to ask with a humble and sincere heart, I will not ever fail to grant your petition. When you ask for truth, I will always allow my truth to be given to you. I know you cannot comprehend everything this means. But I will delight in revealing it so simply to you that your senses will fathom the meaning. Go, my child, to love and serve Me.”
Here are some words from Msgr. Scott Marczuk [i] who spoke on a Friday of the 3rd week of Lent in NWA about Reconciliation. Msgr. Marczuk told us, “Every sin has a social dimension—like a stone that is dropped into water and forms ripples that spread out. Our sin affects the Body of Christ and everybody else. The sin of everybody else affects us.” As Monsignor discussed the need for the Sacrament of Reconciliation, he stated, “God can and does forgive us without a priest, but sin is not only between us and God.” In describing the uniqueness of each person Msgr. Marczuk said, “Nobody can take my place, my gift. Nobody can take your place, your gift. Serious sin cuts that off and thus the Body suffers. My sin hurts the “Team”.” He compared confessing our sin for forgiveness and reconciliation like “draining the infection”. He told us, “There is a human need to tell someone, like counseling.” There is healing in the act of confessing.
We have the free will to decide what to do as we repent of our sins. Msgr. Scott gave us these choices, “We can tell ourselves that someday we will confess our sin and we put it off.” Or “We can set a goal to go to confession later but with a serious resolution of repentance.” Or “We can choose to talk to someone about our sinful actions.” Or we can choose to talk with and confess to a priest” and receive forgiveness and the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Msgr. Marczuk pointed out that Confession follows the same format as the story of the woman caught in adultery.
Let me refresh your memory, the woman’s sin of adultery was brought before Jesus. Jesus listened patiently as details were given. Jesus then spoke words of wisdom that brought peace to the community. He then forgave her the confessed sin. Then instructed her, “Go and from this moment sin no more.”
Msgr. reminded us that Reconciliation can heal the memory. What would keep us away from going to Confession to receive healing? Msgr. Marczuk asked, “Is there a lack of trust that God will forgive? Is there “sinful pride” that our sin is too great for God to forgive? Father then said, “The only “unforgiven sin” is the one not surrendered.” He made the statement, “People who go to confession are holy people not sinful people. Sinful people don’t go to confession.”
Msgr. Marczuk shared that in the early Church there were very high standards in the ritual of forgiveness. Sinners were enrolled in the “penitents” with public penance until the Bishop reconciled them on Holy Thursday. The Church gave a long Catechumenate time to avoid having to stay holy. Many people would wait until their deathbed to go to confession. Later on, the Church limited penances to encourage people to return to the Sacrament sooner.
Msgr. Marczuk gave this advice about going to Confession. He said, “You can confess the big stuff first and then dwindle down or you build up to the big stuff.” It’s your choice. He said, “You cannot confess future sins, there is no free ticket. Desiring to confess future sins is proof that you are not repentant! He ended his talk with instructing us, “Do not re-confess sins already confessed and forgiven. Trust in the process of forgiveness.”
However, if you do go out and do the same sin again, confess it. Repeated sins should be confessed as a habitual sin so that the priest can help you get to the root of the sin. Fr. Ripperger has said that the root might be something totally different than the sin that is popping up! One of the deadly effects of sin is that we lose our awareness of sin. Habitual sin “build-up” can bury the base of love.
This Lent the Lord has more to tell us about Reconciliation. This is Day 24. We invite you to listen each day for words from the Lord and Daily Meditations for Lent. Remember: “The Kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe in the Gospel.” “Prepare for it, ready your heart.” The transcript of this episode is available at PatriarchMinistries.com/294. Come back tomorrow for more. With the Holy Spirit there’s always more. Amen.
[i] St. Stephen in Bentonville, AR, pastor, Rev. Msgr. Scott L. Marczuk, priest of the Diocese of Little Rock, speaking at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Rogers, AR.
