I Want to See...

What is it you want Jesus asked --- the bling beggar said "I want to see."

I remember in June the sun would stay up until 8:30 PM and then after June 21, the longest day of the year, darkness started creeping in. Each day the sun lost out the darkness a minute or two earlier each day.  Now as we approach the end of October night comes earlier and the darkness is begging to hold sway for longer hours of our day. Eventually on December 21 it will be at its most powerful and the things around us will be in the darkness longer than on any night of the year. 

 In the world we live in there is much darkness and by this I mean of the spiritual kind.  I remember when I was a kid on Saturday afternoon there would be three priests hearing confessions and there would be a waiting line.  I am a happy member in a very vibrant, active, and spiritual parish. The people I've met are solid Christians. Our ministries that assist the poor are robustly supported by the parish in both time and treasure.  The parish is a good example of what a parish should be, caring, spiritual, and proud to practice the temporal works of mercy. 

All of this being said and believe me, I am not judging others, I am wondering if a type of spiritual darkness is creeping into the Church members. Today, one priest hears all of the confessions in one hour on Saturday afternoon. You just do not see people taking advantage of the sacrament of reconciliation as much as before. Is it people are not sinning?  I think it is more likely that we are loosing sight of what sin is and how it can creep into your life.  

The sacrament of reconciliation is a wonderful sacrament.  It gives you a chance to admit where you have "missed the mark" for that is what sin is, missing the mark.  You might say that you know you sin and you and Jesus are great friends and you confess directly to Him and he forgives you.  That is a great first step but that is not how Jesus set it up. We are told in the Bible to confess our sins and when Jesus institutes the sacrament of confession he tells the apostles "whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven, whose sins you hold bound, they are held bound."  How are the apostles supposed to decide which sins to forgive if they are not confessed to them?

The act of confessing is preceded by examining ones conscience.  Before you examine your conscience you need to ask the Holy Spirit to give you light to see your sins clearly for we all have some sorts of spiritual blindness.  But, I hear you say, my sins are small. Well, that may be true but look at whom you have sinned against, God Himself!  If you want to see just how serious God considers sin, just look at a crucifix and meditate on the pain and suffering that Jesus went through for you.

There is none so blind as one who will not see. Ask and you will receive, seek and you fill find, knock and the door shall be opened for you.  Don't be afraid to ask the Holy Spirit what your sins are. He already knows.  Don't be afraid to confess to a priest, he takes the place of Christ and reconciles you to God and to the Church. The priest has heard it all, you're not that much different than the person next in line. 

Thank you Matthew Kelly who has inspired me to write the above. His website is here:  http://dynamiccatholic.com/

I encourage you my friends to think carefully about the state of your soul as it relates to the absolute goodness of God.  I encourage you to go frequently to confession and receive not only forgiveness but grace to avoid sinning in the future.  Jesus has given us this great gift and we need to use it. 

If you are a non-Catholic and have any questions about the faith, I would be pleased to answer them for you.  I stress the word ANY because nothing is secret or hidden in the Church that was founded by Jesus Christ.  Send your email to michaeljspoula@outlook.com

Genuine questions will be answered, hate mail, attempts to "convert" me will be deleted.  I want to be a font of information for those who have questions about the Church, so so not be shy.  God Bless.