Parish Lenten/Easter Reconciliation Service/Confessions – Friday, March 30, 2023
You are not defined by your sins, mistakes and failures but by the love of God.
I was away in Castlegar Monday to Wednesday for a Parish Lenten Mission. It concluded with their Parish Reconciliation Service. At the Christmas Reconciliation Service, they had 15 penitents with 5 priests. So each priest had 3 penitents. Judging by the number of people at the Christmas confessions, we printed 17 Reconciliation Program sheets. We ended up having about 45 people. We were only 3 priests as Fr. John was supposed to be the 4th priest, but we got a message from him 30 minutes before confession time that he was driving from Vancouver. We were to start at 6pm. I also had a Zoom Liturgy meeting planned for 7pm. They say if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. With 45 people, it became clear to me that 7pm meeting wasn’t going to work for me. Why am I telling the story? I saw a community who came out together to celebrate God’s mercy, to be refreshed by the love and touch of Jesus, to rediscover the riches hidden in Christ and to deepen their friendship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit truly worked in our midst the three days I was there. I was encouraged and grateful for grace – which God showered on us.
I look forward to our own Reconciliation Service on Friday, March 30, as we go to God together as a community – a community longing to be holy together!
This Sunday, we will hear the story of the raising of Lazarus from the dead. The Gospel will help us to prepare ourselves for our upcoming Reconciliation Service.
In His life time, Jesus raised three people from the dead: The daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain and then Lazarus. Our God is interested in life. St. Irenaeus says that the glory of God is the human being fully alive. What gives God glory and happiness is that we are fully alive. What saddens Him is when death reigns in us – psychologically or spiritually.
St. Augustine knows that the Gospel operates in many levels and he sees in the three miracles a deep spiritual truth. The daughter of Jairus was healed in the house. Augustine sees in this the spiritual death caused by sin and dysfunction which remains inside, that remains locked up in our minds and hearts and haven’t expressed themselves in actions but yet are poisonous – resentments, old grudges, can’t stand that person, I’ll never forgive him because of what he did to me, I’m so angry about that situation. They don’t get expressed in words and actions but they take away our joy and poison the mind and heart. Jesus wants to enter those inner spaces to help us heal and forgive.
The second story: the son was raised outside of the house. St. Augustine says that this is a spiritual death that has come out of the heart and has begun to express itself in action. I’m now acting out my anger, resentment, jealousy, hatred. Lent is a time to take an inventory of my soul. What is making me not to be fully alive and happy?
The third is Lazarus – he is now carried out of the house and he is in the tomb. In fact, there is a stench, Martha said to Jesus. In this, St. Augustine says that the spiritual death has not only come out of the heart but has now established as a habitual part of my life. Now, my anger and hatred has become such a part of my life, so established that I have begun to stink. I have started affecting a lot of people around me. My spiritual death is not just my problem now but a problem for other people because it’s affecting them.
Lazarus, come out. This is the heart of the story. Jesus goes into the furthest, smelliest part and there invites us back to life. Sometimes, people say: ‘Fr, you don’t even know what I’ve done. I can’t be forgiven, so don’t talk to me about Confession.’ False! Nobody is beyond the forgiving power of our loving and merciful Saviour.
Jesus groans. Jesus weeps. I’m so touched by this. God groans and weeps for me, for us. Not in anger but in sympathy.
Take away the stone. He calls him by name. Jesus doesn’t want any of us to be stuck. This Lent, He is calling you, naming you, even when you feel you are far from him, alone, depressed, in the dark. He wants us happy and alive.
As we go to Jesus in Confession, let us say to him: ‘Lord, I’m here because you called my name. I’m here because You are my friend. I’m here to tell you that I love You.’
Happy Sunday!
Your brother,
Fr. Obi