From pastor’s desk on the Third Sunday of Advent, year C
Conversion is an ongoing theme of Advent. It means turning around from evil ways and making a way for the coming of Christ. It is an ordering of our mind and heart and setting them towards a higher goal, that is, life in God. How do we do that? It is a very similar question that the crowds asked Saint John the Baptist, “What should we do?” We read in the Gospel:
[John] said to them in reply, “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” He answered them, “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Soldiers also asked him, “And what is it that we should do?” He told them, “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” (Luke 3:11-14)
Notice that John the Baptist did not tell the people to do anything unusual or strange. Rather, he gave them simple counsels: do whatever you need to do according to your state of life. In other word, whatever you do, do it with honesty and faithfulness to your faith. Also, do it for the greater glory of God without compromising your belief or moral behavior. Follow God’s Commandments, all of them, and be candidly good to others. In this way, you will make the first step toward the preparation for the encounter with the Messiah. The second step belongs to Christ, who “will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” But to receive Christ into our lives, the purity of heart and willingness to repent are essential. “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8).
On a practical note, it means for Christians, that we need to show our faith in our daily actions. Whether it be with our families, or in our jobs, or if you are a student, in your schoolwork. This means that we need to put God first in all our endeavors. Our thoughts and our emotions need to be purified and organized according to that higher goal, which is God Himself. The lives of the countless saints prove that setting your mind on God really works and brings abundant and lasting fruits. So, this a call to holiness of life in the simplicity of heart for each and every one of us. Advent is a sacred time that reminds us of the Way of Christ.
As we prepare for Christmas let us also use an opportunity to go to confession. The sacrament of reconciliation is a wonderful tool that our Lord gave us to cleanse us of our faults and to lift the burden off our shoulders laden by the consequence of sin. Please read the conditions to make a good confession, following my column. Also you may do a search for an examination of conscience that will help you to discern whether your actions and thoughts reflected God’s law or not.
May the Blessed Virgin Mary help you on the way to Jesus.
Have a blessed week,
Fr. Janusz Mocarski, Pastor
CONDITIONS TO MAKE A GOOD SACRAMENTAL CONFESSION
- Contrition (i.e., real sorrow for sin).
- A desire to amend one’s life.
- Confession of sins.
- a) With regard to each and every mortal sin, the penitent must confess number and kind (i.e., what you did and how many times you did it). The priest does not need to hear details (e.g., the family history of why you struggle with hatred toward a brother) but he does need to hear factors that change the severity of the sin (e.g., stealing from a church adds the sin of sacrilege to the sin of theft and changes the severity of the sin). You mustconfess at least all mortal sins since your last good (i.e., not invalid) Confession.
- b) It is also of great benefit to confess venial sins since your last Confession – especially those venial sins which are habitual or which trouble you most. However, there is no requirement to confess all venial sins(as that can be a practical impossibility).
- c) If you have no mortal sins, you must confess venial sins as they would then be part of the necessary matter.
- d) You should never intentionally hide any sin from your confessor.
4, The intention of performing the penance that the priest assigns as penance.
- a) One should perform the penance as soon as possible. After exiting the confessional, it is advisable to remain in the Church until the penance has been completed (if that is possible).
- b) If a penitent thinks he cannot complete the penance, he should bring that to the attention of the priest before leaving the confessional. If he leaves and simply decides not do to the penance, then the confession will be invalid.
- c) If for some reason a penitent unintentionallyforgets to complete his penance, he should confess that in his next confession.