St. John the Baptist Catholic Church

Where Stewardship is a Way of Life

Bob Jensen

March 27, 2022

Pastor's Corner, Uncategorized

“Whereas sin is destructive, a penance can be constructive and bring healing to others harmed by one’s sin.”
– Fr. Bill

Sacrament of Reconciliation

Our communal Lenten reconciliation service with individual confession and absolution will be Saturday, April 2 at 10:00 am. In preparation, I would like to repeat a series of bulletin articles I did for our Advent reconciliation service.

It is the Holy Spirit who moves the follower of Christ who has sinned to come to the Sacrament of Penance. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we seek deeper and deeper conversion to God. This process of conversion through the Sacrament of Reconciliation has four elements: contrition, confession, penance, and absolution.

In previous articles, I have examined contrition and confession. Now I would like to focus on the element of penance. Sin is destructive. It can harm self, others, the community, and creation. When I was a child, the common act of penance the priest gave us was to pray three Hail Marys and one Our Father. While prayer is always good, I often did not see the connection between what I confessed and the penance that was given. Today, the focus is on a penance that can really be a remedy for sin and a help to renewal of life.

Sin can easily become habit forming, even addictive. A penance can help one break a bad habit by developing a good one. One can push against a sin by choosing to do the opposite. In suggesting a penance, I often give the opposite of a sin confessed.

The penance can also help repair an injury sin has caused to another. Whereas sin is destructive, a penance can be constructive and bring healing to others harmed by one’s sin.

While the priest suggests the penance, the penitent has to agree to it. One can always ask for a different penance if the one suggested is impossible or too difficult to carry out. Sometimes the penitent even can suggest a penance they believe will be a true remedy for their sin.

This Lent, since we do not have permission to celebrate Reconciliation with a general absolution, we do have the opportunity to be more intentional in offering a penance that truly addresses the sins being confessed. The whole purpose of a penance is to bring healing. True conversion is completed by acts of penance.

March 20, 2022

Pastor's Corner

“The priest is not there as sheriff or judge but there to express God’s mercy.” – Fr. Bill

Our communal Lenten reconciliation service with individual confession and absolution will be Saturday, April 2 at 10:00 am. In preparation, I would like to repeat a series of bulletin articles I did for our Advent reconciliation service.

It is the Holy Spirit, who moves the follower of Christ, who has sinned, to come to the Sacrament of Penance. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we seek deeper and deeper conversion to God. This process of conversion through the Sacrament of Reconciliation has four elements: contrition, confessions, penance, and absolution.

Last week I reflected on contrition. This week, I focus on that second element: confession. This comes from true knowledge of self. Examining one’s actions, motives and circumstance is done in light of God’s mercy, confident that God wants to bring us greater freedom through the forgiveness of sin. Naming sin out loud lessens its power over us, for sin always likes to be kept secret where it can fester. Confession invites the penitent to open his or her heart to the minister of God, who is there to speak God’s mercy. Unfortunately, too many have experienced the confessional as a torture chamber rather than a hospital (as Pope Francis has lamented).

When a person names their sin to me, I am filled will compassion for their struggle as well as inspiration at their strength in naming that sin that tries to continue its hold on them. I also am attentive that it is the Holy Spirit, who probably led them to the Sacrament. God’s grace is at work when someone feels the need to celebrate this sacrament. I am humbled to be a part of this holy encounter. And, for some reason, I never seem to remember what a person has told me in confession. Still, some people are more comfortable going to confession at a neighboring parish rather than to their own pastor. The Church applies its harshest penalty of excommunication to a priest who ever reveals what is said in the confessional. The priest is not there as sheriff or judge but there to express God’s mercy.

In the past, the parish’s Advent and Lent Reconciliation Services did not include individual confession to a priest. The archbishop did not grant me the necessary permission to continue that custom. However, I hope you will experience this element of confession as a freeing and liberating prayer and the pathway of receiving the abundance of God’s mercy.